Queer As Folk: Never Say Never
by QAFfan
Summary: A month has passed since Justin left for New York and he hasn't heard from Brian. He begins to wonder if he made a mistake leaving Pittsburgh and contemplates going home to Brian, who is not taking the separation so well.
1. Prologue

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Having almost lost Justin in the bombing at Babylon, Brian decided it was time to settle down and proposed. Justin initially turned him down until he learned that Brian was selling the loft and the club, and that he had bought them a manor in West Virginia. Simon Caswell, an art critic from New York, gave Justin a rave review, stating that Justin would have a bright future if he moved to New York. Justin was willing to forgo his career to be with Brian, but they both realized that they would be sacrficing their lives to be together. After spending one last night with Brian, Justin headed off to New York to start his career.

Recovering from his injuries in the bombing, Michael was asked to represent the Committe of Human Rights. Hearing that a bomb had gone off at Babylon, Hunter returned and decided to stay for good. Michael and Ben decided to adopt Hunter, assuming that Proposition Fourteen did not pass. Michael brought Brian to Babylon and made him realize that some things weren't meant to change. Brian decided to keep the club and reopen it.

Both newly single, Emmett and Ted went to Mount Flame to celebrate Ted's birthday. There, they were reunited with past acquaintances: Blake and Calvin (a schoolmate of Emmett's.)

Not wanting their children to be mistreated because of their sexual orientation, Melanie and Lindsay moved to Canada.

Debbie returned to working at the Liberty Diner, still living with Carl and Emmett.

* * *

_Thumpa thumpa_. The pulsating beat of the music reverberated throughout Babylon. The nightclub was packed with men, all gyrating to the music. Glitter flitted through the air and covered the dance floor, its inhabitants, and the bar. Brian Kinney, owner of Babylon and its most frequent guest was dancing with his best friend Michael Novotny. They had been friends for practically their whole lives and Michael was one of the few people Brian actually shared his feelings with.

Emmett Honeycutt and Ted Schmidt were nearby dancing together, since they had come without their boyfriends for the night. Michael's husband Ben Bruckner had taken their adopted son Hunter Novotny-Bruckner out to but a suit for his upcoming graduation.

As usual, Brian was high, but not high to the point where he couldn't walk, only stumble. Since his boyfriend Justin Taylor had moved to New York to pursue an art career, Brian had gotten high more often than he had in the past. It was the only way he could deal with the pain. Never before had Brian loved someone like he loved Justin. Hell, he'd even asked Justin to marry him, which to everyone who knew Brian was completely shocking since Brian didn't believe in marriage.

Looking out at the crowd, Brian noticed a young blond guy walking toward him. Justin! His heart skipped a beat, and he smiled at the guy, only to realize that it wasn't Justin, just some one who bore a passing resemblance to him. Brian's heart sank. The guy noticed that Brian had been smiling at him, and walked over. He began to run his hand down Brian's chest, working towards his belt. "Fuck off," Brian said, turning back to Michael, who looked on in curiosity.

The guy stopped for a moment and then smiled. Once Brian began dancing again, he wrapped his arms around Brian from behind. "I said fuck off!" Brian shouted, pushing the guy down.

"Holy shit, Brian! What are you doing?" Michael exclaimed.

Without a word, Brian made his way to the exit with Michael running after him. "Brian! Wait! What's going on?" Michael asked.

"Nothing, Mikey. Go back inside," Brian replied irritably, getting into his Corvette and tearing away into the night.

Michael stood outside for several seconds before heading back into Babylon.

* * *

In New York, Justin lay awake in his bed, staring out the window of his room. As much as he tried to focus on his work, his thought always shifted back to Brian. _I can't believe we called off our wedding_, he thought. Sure, hearing Brian Kinney say that he would rather cuddle than have his dick sucked had been shocking, but now, in retrospect, Justin realized that Brian had just been trying to make him happy, and who was to say that that was bad?

Even though Lindsay had told Justin that his art was good and that he stood a chance here in New York, the truth was that Justin was miserable. He missed Brian, he couldn't paint because he had no inspiration, and he had no money – sure he had a job, but all of his wages pretty much went to paying the rent and buying food.

Just then, his cell phone vibrated. Without looking at the Caller ID, Justin hurriedly picked up the phone, hoping beyond hope that it was Brian. "Hello!" he said quietly, mindful not to wake up his roommate Shelby.

"Hey Sunshine." It wasn't Brian, but Debbie, Michael's mom.

"Oh, hey, Deb. What's up?" Justin asked, trying the keep the disappointment out of his voice.

"Not much, honey, just the usual – working at the diner and keeping the guys in line," she joked.

"That's good. How's Brian?"

"Well, to be honest Sunshine, I haven't really seen much of our dear Mr. Kinney since you left. Last I heard, they reopened Babylon and he and Michael were down there like in the old days," Deb replied.

"The old days..." Justin began, his heart sinking.

"To the best of my knowledge, he hasn't fucked a single person since you left. He didn't leave the loft except to go to work for days after you left. Michael finally had to force him to go out."

Justin smiled. It was good to know that Brian wasn't back to his old tricks. "I miss you guys."

"We miss you, too, Sunshine. When are you coming back home?" Deb asked.

"Uh...soon I hope. Work's really slow here and I miss Brian...he hasn't called me once since I've been here."

"Really?" was all Deb could manage. She found that odd. Brian had been so devastated when Justin had left. So, why the fuck hadn't he kept in touch?

"Yeah. Maybe I'll come home this weekend and surprise him," Justin considered.

"That would be nice! Let me know if you're coming for sure, I'll have a little get together."

"Okay Deb. Well listen, I'd better let you go, I have work early in the morning."

"Yeah me, too. You take good care of yourself Sunshine, you hear?"

"Yes, Mother," Justin teased.

"Good night, sweetie."

"Good night, Deb." Justin hung up the phone and sat for a moment in silence. Making up his mind, he dialed Brian's cell number. It rang a couple of times and went to voice mail. Hurt and at a loss for words, Justin hung up.

Setting the phone back on his bedside stand, Justin pulled the covers up over his head. _Why not? Brian will be so happy to see me, and maybe this time I'll be able to convince him that I don't really want this_. After several moments, Justin fell asleep with a smile on his face for the first time since leaving Pittsburgh.

* * *

Back at the loft, Brian was wandering around in a drugged stupor. The guy had looked exactly like Justin, or had he? Brian's drug addled brain couldn't remember all of the details clearly and he felt a head ache coming on. Lying down on his bed, he massaged his temples, slowly losing consciousness.

He was jolted awake by the sound of his cell phone ringing. Slowly, he reached for it and looked at the Caller ID – SUNSHINE. Even though his heart began to beat faster, Brian stared at his phone for a long while, trying to decide whether or not to answer it. He did not want Justin to come rushing back to Pittsburgh for him, and yet he would give almost anything to be with Justin.

Finally, the call ended. _Maybe he'll leave a voice mail _Brian thought, waiting for the voice mail alert to pop up. After a minute of waiting, Brian realized that Justin hadn't left a message. Disappointed and angry at both himself and Justin, Brian threw his phone across the loft. Exhaustion set in and Brian passed out on his bed clutching the rings that he and Justin were to have worn at their wedding.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **The young blonde man from Babylon returns and propositions Brian. Will he give into temptation? Michael revels in the joy of having a family. Debbie gets a phone call from Justin that heralds good news. Emmett decides to throw a party. Ted wants to take Blake away for his birthday.


	2. Phone Sex

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Separated from Justin, Brian was distraught. He hadn't spoken to Justin once since he left a month earlier, and reverted to drugs and alcohol to alleviate the pain. In New York, Justin was equally miserable. He realized that he made a huge mistake leaving Brian and contemplated going back home.

Proposition Fourteen did not pass, allowing Michael and Ben to adopt Hunter. In Justin's absence, Michael took it upon himself to keep an eye on Brian.

Emmett and Calvin were going strong, as were Ted and Blake.

Debbie, missing Justin, called him and assured him that Brian has been faithful.

* * *

Chapter One

The next morning at the Liberty Diner, Michael, Emmett, and Ted were eating breakfast together while Debbie eavesdropped. "I don't know why, but he completely freaked out on the guy," Michael said, filling the others in on the scoop.

"What did he look like?" Emmett asked. He had happened to look over in Brian's direction before his outburst and wanted to confirm his theory.

"Um...he had blond hair and blue eyes," Michael said, realization setting in. Justin. The guy had reminded Brian of Justin. Of course. How had he not realized it before? _Probably because I'm not in love with him._

"Well done, sweetie," Emmett said, ascertaining from the look on Michael's face that he had realized why Brian had been so upset.

"How is Justin doing in New York anyway?" Ted piped up.

"He's doing just fine. He misses us all of course, but he's planning a surprise visit this weekend, so if any of you fuckers tell Brian, I'll punch you in the mouth so hard you won't be able to give a blow job for a month!" Debbie cut in.

"Really? Wow, that's great!" Emmett enthused. Everyone looked at him. "That Justin's coming back, not the blow job thing."

"Wait, Brian doesn't know?" Michael asked, a plan forming in his head.

"No, so don't fuck it up!" Debbie replied, hands on her hips.

"We should throw them a party!" Emmett suggested, and with his former career as a party planner, it was guaranteed to be a success.

"That's what I told Sunshine last night." Everybody turned to look at Deb. "What! I called him last night to say hi,." Deb said, not understanding why such a big deal was being made of it

The cook rang the bell and Deb went to go deliver the food to a patron.

"We should have the party at Woody's," Emmett suggested.

"Sure. I just have to figure out how I'm going to get Brian down there," Michael replied.

"Get me down where?" Brian asked, surprising everyone at the table.

"Woody's," Michael said.

"Why would I want to do something like that?" Brian asked sarcastically.

"Uh..." It was too early in the morning for Michael's brain to concoct a suitable lie.

"Well?" Brian asked, looking each of his friends in the eye. Ted stared at Brian like a deer caught in headlights.

"There's a Buff Bottoms Contest there," Emmett said, trying to sound casual.

"And why would I give a fuck about Buff Bottoms?" Brian asked.

No one could come up with an answer. In the days before Justin, Brian had thrived on fucking every gay man in Pittsburgh, with the minor exception of Michael, Emmett, and Ted. He actually had a policy never to sleep with the same person more than once. Thanks to Justin, all that had changed. "That's what I thought," Brian said, sitting down in the booth next to Michael. He could tell that something weird was going on.

There was silence for several moments as Brian waited for Deb to come back so that he could order. Finally, the silence was broken by Ted. "Hey, Bri, have you spoken to Justin recently?" Ted's question was met with looks of shock and irritation.

"Why no, Theodore, I haven't spoken to Sunshine recently," Brian said, full of sarcasm.

"Oh...I was just wondering how he's doing. I miss him."

Brian shot Ted a look that said "Not as much as me." Once again, silence fell upon the table. Debbie was purposely avoiding the table now that Brian was there.

Losing his patience, Brian called out "Hey Deb, can I get some fucking service?"

Deb nodded distractedly and came over with her pad and pencil. "What'll it be?" she asked, avoiding Brian's eyes.

"For one thing, I'd like everyone to stop acting like I'm a fucking leper. I'd also like some scrambled eggs to go," Brian said, glaring at everyone in turn.

"Coming right up," Deb murmured, without her usual sass. _She'll probably turn up at my loft later on tonight so we can get high together,_ Brian thought.

"Well," Ted said to break the awkward silence "Blake and I are planning on going out of town for his birthday next week."

"Really? Where?" Michael asked, grateful for a distraction.

"Chicago. He wants to go see _Chicago _in Chicago."

"Who would ever have thought that that tweaked out twinkie would last as long as he has?" Brian muttered. Ted shot Brian an angry look, but didn't say anything.

Finally, Deb came back with Brian's order. Brian paid her, and turning to his friends said, "Well guys, try not to chat yourselves to death. Mikey, I'll see you tonight at Babylon." He left without another word.

"Way to go, Michael!" Debbie hissed, smacking her son upside the head.

"What did I do!" Michael exclaimed.

Emmett and Ted burst out into laughter.

* * *

Brian ate his breakfast on the way to work. After about a year of working at Kinnetik, he had begun to stop thinking of the building as the Liberty Baths, which he had frequented in the days before it had been shut down. Entering his office, his assistant Cynthia was waiting for him. "Brian, Mr. Tyler will be here in a few minutes."

"Who?" Brian asked.

"Mr. Tyler...you know, our new client?" Cynthia offered. Brian had no clue what she was talking about, but nodded his head and sat down at his desk.

A few minutes later, Cynthia came in with Mr. Tyler. Brian's blood began to boil. Mr. Tyler was none other than the young guy that he had freaked out on the night before. _What the fuck does he want? _Brian wondered. On closer inspection, he could see that the guy did look a lot like Justin. His stomach knotted up and he felt a pang in his heart. _Justin._

The guy had a smirk on his face. "Hello, Mr. Kinney," he said with fake kindness before taking a seat.

"Cynthia would you excuse us?" Brian asked. Surprised, Cynthia stayed where she was for a moment until Brian shot her look, after which she quickly left the room.

"It's nice to see you again," the man said snidely. "I'm Dustin, by the way." _Dustin Tyler?_

Brian chuckled to himself and then rose and walked over to Dustin, leaning over him so that their faces almost touched. "Get the hell out of my office boy," he said condescendingly. Dustin did not move a muscle. "Do you want to me to escort your ass out on the end of my shoe?" Brian continued.

"You're being awfully rude to a potential client, don't you think?" Dustin asked.

"What do you want?"

"You. I want to finish what we started last night. Before you freaked out."

"I don't think so. You know the way out," Brian said with finality.

"Why not? Am I not hot enough for you?" Dustin's trailed his hand down Brian's stomach. Oddly, Brian felt nothing. "I've heard all about you, Brian. Supposedly you're the best fuck on Liberty Avenue. It's been awhile since I've had a good fuck."

By now Brian had lost him temper and was clenching his jaw to refrain from punching Dustin. "I said get out," he muttered, not blinking.

"Is it because I remind you of someone? He went to New York, didn't he? That pathetic little twink that you were so enamored with?"

With the agility of panther landing on its prey, Brian punched Dustin so hard that his chair tipped over and he spilled onto the tiled floor. Not waiting another second, Brian pummeled him on the ground, stopping only when he felt Cynthia's hand on his arm.

"Brian what the hell are you doing?" she gasped. Brian stopped and looked down at Dustin's broken and bloody face.

"Get him out of here," Brian ordered.

Cynthia helped Dustin to his feet and escorted the wounded man out. Brian walked into the bathroom and turned the water on so that he could wash the blood off of his hands. When he got back into his office, Cynthia was standing by his desk, arms folded across her chest. "Not now, Cynthia," Brian said quietly. Cynthia shook her head and left the room. _Hopefully that little cretin doesn't press charges against me, _Brian thought, massaging his temples again. In a moment of desperation, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Justin's number.

After a few rings, he picked up. "Brian!" At the sound of Justin's voice, Brian broke out into a smile.

"Hello, Sunshine," he said amicably. "How are you doing?"

"Better now that we're finally talking again," Justin replied.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Brian couldn't bring himself to explain.

"I miss you," Justin whispered.

"I miss you, too. So, am I coming to you or are you coming to me?" Brian asked.

"Neither."

"What?" Brian was confused.

"I'm really busy right now, sorry," Justin lied.

"No, that's okay," Brian said, hurt. Had Justin met someone else? Moved on?

"I love you, Brian." Guess not. Brian heaved a sigh of relief.

"And I love you, Sunshine."

"I'll let you know when I have some time off and we can meet up, okay?"

"You'd better. I can't wait to fuck your brains out," Brian replied lustily.

"Ooh, me either. Are you alone?"

"Yeah, why?" Brian looked up just to make sure he was completely alone. Cynthia didn't always announce her presence right away.

"Well, I just figured that since we haven't seen each other in a while, phone sex could be hot."

"Phone sex." Brian chuckled. "Why not?"

"I've never done this before," Justin confessed.

"Neither have I, but we've fucked in every way imaginable, so I think we can make this work." Brian unbuttoned his pants and slid his hand down.

"Are you hard?" Justin asked. The truth was, Brian had gotten hard the moment he had first heard Justin's voice.

"Yeah."

"I'm taking you into my mouth..." Justin's voice went on, but Brian focused on the sound of his voice rather than the actual words. The pleasure was the greatest that he had ever inflicted on himself and after a few minutes, he gasped, shuddered and was done. "That sounded good," Justin murmured.

"It was," Brian managed. He was out of breath. "What about you?"

"I am seeing stars right now," Justin joked. Brian laughed.

"I love you," Brian blurted.

"We've already been over this," Justin said, just as breathless as Brian.

"Okay, yeah, sorry," _How did this ever happen to me? _Brian silently wondered.

"Shit!"

"What?"

"My roommate just walked in and I'm naked."

"Mmmm I wish I was there right now."

"Haha. Me, too." Justin sighed "I'd better let you go. I have to be to work in an hour and now I have to take a quick shower to wash off."

"Okay." Brian was a little disappointed but in his post orgasm haze he would survive.

"I'll call you in a few days."

"I'll be here. Bye, Sunshine."

"Bye." Justin hung up. Brian followed suit. After a few moments, he zipped his pants back up and straightened his tie. He had another client coming in soon and wanted to look his best, as always. Closing his eyes, Brian drifted off into a light sleep thinking about Justin.

* * *

The comic book store was packed. Ever since Brian and Justin had announced that they were going to get married, the wedding issue of _Rage_ had been selling like hot cakes. _Justin and I will have to brainstorm for the next issue if I see him this weekend,_ Michael thought.

"Do you have the wedding issue of _Rage_?" a customer asked. It was a teenaged boy.

"I'm sorry, we're sold out right now. I just ordered some more, they'll be here by the middle of next week. If you want, I can reserve a copy for you," Michael offered.

"Sweet!" the kid exclaimed.

"What's your name?" Michael asked.

"Louis Summers."

"Okay, Louis. It'll be in by next Wednesday.

"See you then," the kid said, exiting the store. _Who ever thought that Rage would be such a hit? _Michael wondered to himself.

The door opened and in walked Ben and Hunter. "Hey, guys," Michael said, grinning.

"Hey," Hunter said, going over to look at the newest arrivals.

"Hi," Ben replied, leaning in toward Michael. The two kissed passionately.

"Hey, get a room!" Hunter joked, making gagging noises. Ben and Michael laughed and pulled apart.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Michael asked. "Don't you have class?"

"Class let out early today," Ben replied. "I picked up Hunter on my way here. We thought we'd get you to close shop early so we could all go out for a bite to eat."

"Well, that's very thoughtful of you. The store is pretty busy, but what the hell? After these customers clear out I'm done," Michael replied.

"Great," Ben said, grinning. Michael's heart melted._ I am so thankful for him, _he thought.

Ben moved over to where Hunter was lounging so that the customers could check out. Luckily for them, the customers were in and out in five minutes. Locking up the cash register, Michael grabbed his jacket and followed his family out the door, locking it behind him

They made their way down the street. Thankfully, it wasn't winter anymore, so they didn't have to freeze as they walked everywhere. Being the health nut that he was, Ben preferred to walk or ride bikes no matter what the weather was like. "How was school today?" Michael asked Hunter.

"It was okay. Just like every other school day."

"Did you learn anything?"

"Could you be anymore of a mother?" Hunter replied

"Sorry. I was just curious," Michael said with mock hurt.

A few minutes later, they'd arrived at their destination: the Liberty Diner. They entered the restaurant and took a seat in one of the booths. Debbie turned and saw them. "I'll be right there," she said.

"I was just here this morning with Ted and Emmett," Michael confessed.

"Oh, we could go somewhere else if you want," Ben offered.

"No, this is fine. I just wanted to warn you that my mother will be extra crazy."

"Like hell I will!" Debbie insisted, sitting down next to Hunter.

"I meant that in a good way, Ma."

"Yeah I'll bet." Deb was grinning wider than the Cheshire Cat.

"What?" Michael asked.

"I talked to Sunshine again. He's coming home for sure this weekend."

"That's great!" Michael couldn't help but smile. He might have had hard feelings toward Justin when they had first met, but seeing how happy he made Brian, Michael couldn't help but like the kid.

"There's more. He's not happy in New York, so might be coming back to stay!"

"Brian doesn't know, does he?"

"Didn't we have this conversation this morning?"

"Deb, can I order?" a patron asked. She was a drag queen dressed like Angel from _Rent_ .She came in fairly regularly and insisted on being called Angel.

"I'll be right there, Angel. Don't get your zebra tights in a twist!" Deb joked, rolling her eyes.

"Brian is going to be so happy," Michael said, relief setting in.

"Yeah. Maybe they'll actually go through with the wedding this time," Hunter muttered.

"I still haven't returned my gift," Debbie confessed.

"Deb?" Angel called again.

"Hold the fuck on! Didn't you learn anything from Mimi? Wait and it will come to you." Angel looked hurt and went back to perusing the menu. "Fucking transvestites. They're even pushier than you queens," Deb said, getting up to go take Angel's order.

Ben had quietly watched on. "You were right about her being extra crazy," he murmured.

"I heard that!" Debbie called back.

"Just kidding, Deb." Ben chuckled.

"I know you are, sweetie." Deb had finished taking Angel's order and came back to sit with her family.

"Oh, Ma. I forgot to tell you this morning. I talked to Melanie and Lindsay the other day, they want to come visit real soon." Michael was excited. He hadn't seen his daughter in too long.

"They'd better. I miss my granddaughter, and my girls, too."

"Are they going to let Jenny Rebecca stay with us?" Ben asked.

"They said so. I can't wait. I've dreamed of that day since she was born."

"Well, we'll have to set up a crib in our room soon then."

"That is why I love you," Michael said, kissing Ben.

"Because I state the obvious?"

"No, because you are so kind and caring," Michael and Ben began to kiss again. Hunter gagged loudly.

"Cut that out," Deb said, smacking Hunter on the arm. "Come help me."

"But it's my day off!" Hunter insisted.

Debbie gave Hunter a look. "Do you really want to piss your Grandma off?" she asked

"No." Hunter sighed, getting up and going with Deb behind the counter. Silently, they watched Ben and Michael kissing. Finally, they both started laughing quietly and making jokes. When an order came up, Deb gave it to Hunter to deliver, she'd been working all day and was ready for a break.

_Sunshine's coming back, _Deb thought to herself_. _Justin had called and left her a voice mail that morning. She couldn't wait to see him again. He was like a son to her, as all of the boys were. She'd known before he left that he would be back soon. He wouldn't go through four years of bullshit with Brian Kinney just to walk away when he'd finally gotten everything he'd desired. _Safe flight, Sunshine_. Debbie said a quick prayer.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Having spoken to Brian for the first time since leaving Pittsburgh, Justin makes up his mind to go home and bids adieu to New York, but what will he come home to? Disaster strikes at Debbie's house. An old flame returns to Emmett's life, causing him to question his relationship with Calvin. Michael and Ted urge Brian to lay off the drugs.


	3. Justin Returns

**Previously on Queer As Folk: **Unable to take the silence anymore, Brian called Justin. This convinced him to come home.

Michael, Ben, and Debbie - knowing that Justin is on his way home - decided to keep it a secret from Brian.

Emmett and Ted were finally happy in their relationships.

* * *

Chapter Two

_I am not going to miss this place at all,_ Justin thought as he finished packing up his few belongings. _Pittsburgh will always be home to me._ He'd decided to leave New York that very day. Luckily, his employer understood and immediately took him off of the payroll.

Setting his bags by the door, Justin did one last sweep through the apartment to make sure that he hadn't forgotten anything. "I can't believe you're really going," his roommate, Shelby said.

"I'll miss you, but I was much happier in Pittsburgh," Justin replied, smiling kindly.

"Promise me one thing."

"Of course."

"You go back to that Brian of yours and you marry him, all right? I've listened to you go on and on about how much you regret not marrying him. Do it for me."

"I promise. I won't be doing it for you, I'll be doing it for me."

"I am so glad that Daphne told you about this place. If I had to have one more shitty roommate who blasted death metal at all hours of the night, I was going to go crazy! That Brian of yours is a very lucky man – he's got one hell of a roommate."

"Don't be so sentimental, Shelb. Just think: now you can bring home guys at any hour of the night and have wild, loud sex."

"Good point. Bye, then," Shelby joked, laughing despite the tears forming in her eyes.

"Come here." Justin held his arms wide and Shelby leaned in. "It's going to be okay. You'll find someone else. Who knows? Maybe Daphne will come live with you. Since her boyfriend broke up with her she's been pretty down in the dumps."

"Two crazy girls partying it up in the East Village?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Absolutely nothing. When's your flight?"

"Nine."

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you to the airport?" Shelby asked.

"It's fine. I'll get a cab. Today is your only day off; relax, read a book, watch some TV, smoke a joint, I don't know." Justin laughed.

"A joint sounds great right now," Shelby confessed, lying down on the couch.

"Well, I have an hour and a half before my flight leaves, but since I don't have a joint, we'll have to figure out something else to do." Justin sat down next to her, sighing.

For a few minutes, they sat in companionable silence. Justin's mind drifted to Brian. _I can't wait to see him! Should I surprise him at Babylon, or should I turn up at the loft?_ Justin debated this for awhile. Shelby turned the TV on and Justin stared at the screen blankly. He was shaken out of his reverie when an advertisement came on – he recognized the Kinnetik logo. "Oh my God, that's Brian's company!" Justin practically jumped off of the couch.

"No way! It's a sign dude. He's waiting for you."

"I hope so. When I hadn't heard from him I started to think that maybe he'd moved on, but Deb assures me that he's been celibate to the best of everyone's knowledge."

"Okay, give him to me!" Shelby joked.

"Whatever happened to that guy you were after at work?" Justin asked.

"Jeremy? I didn't tell you? Just my luck – he's gay."

"Ouch." Justin laughed.

"All of the good men in the world are gay!" Shelby insisted. "Look at you; you would make a great boyfriend for a girl like me, but you're gay. Why couldn't I have been born a gay man!"

"I'm sorry, I can't help you with that."

"Smart ass."

The rest of the time flew by and before he knew it, Justin was at the door again. "I'll call you when my flight lands, okay?" Outside, his taxi waited.

"Please do. You know how paranoid I am about plane crashes."

"Thanks, get me riled up why don't you?" Justin joked, laughing.

"Bye," Shelby said, kissing him quickly on the cheek before she started to cry.

"Bye," Justin replied, picking up his bags. With one final look back at Shelby, he closed the door. He stopped for a second to collect himself before continuing down to the taxi.

After his bags were loaded into the trunk, the taxi pulled away and Justin saw Shelby standing in the window, tears streaming down her face. _It's worth it, _he told himself over and over again. _Brian's waiting for you._

_

* * *

_

Debbie was home alone cooking; Carl was on his way home from another late shift. They'd agreed that he would finish out the year and then retire so that they could spend more time together. _Where the fuck is he? _she wondered, getting slightly irritated.

Fifteen minutes later, Carl walked in the front door. "I'm home," he called. Deb came out of the kitchen and hugged him.

"Dinner's almost ready, honey." She had calmed down when she heard his voice.

Carl sniffed the air. "Smells good."

"It's your favorite: meatloaf." Debbie grinned.

"Remind me to thank you for that later." Carl laughed. "I'm going to take a quick shower, wash the grime off."

"Okay, I'll call you when supper's ready."

Debbie busied herself cleaning up and when the food was done, she called up to Carl. No answer. With a sigh, she went upstairs. "Carl, dinner's ready!" she shouted outside the bathroom door. Still no answer. Trying the door, she found it unlocked. "I'm coming in," she said, opening the door.

Carl was sprawled on the floor, unconscious. "Carl!" Deb screamed, dropping to her knees beside him. He still had a pulse. Panicking, Debbie ran into her bedroom and called the police. The EMTs were there in the blink of an eye. "What's wrong with him?" she asked, crying.

"The best we can tell ma'am, he had a stroke," one of the men said.

"A stroke?"

"Yeah. We need to get him to the hospital."

"Let me grab my jacket." Deb quickly grabbed her jacket and followed the EMTs with Carl on a stretcher out to the ambulance.

She debated calling Michael, but decided against it. _Let him enjoy his night._ Deb got into the back of the ambulance and held Carl's hand as the EMTs worked.

* * *

Babylon was crowded. Emmett was dancing by himself next to Ted and Blake. His boyfriend, Calvin had gone back to Hazelhurst to get some more of his things; they were planning on moving in together and once Calvin found a job in Pittsburgh, it would happen.

The song ended. Out of breath, Emmett said, "Teddy, I'm going to run to the bathroom and then get a drink, do you want anything?"

"Nothing for me. Thanks, Em."

"Blake?"

"No, thanks." Blake smiled kindly and he and Ted continued to dance.

Emmett pushed his way to the bathroom. _I haven't brushed up against this many hot men in God knows how long?_ Emmett thought pleasantly. Luckily, there wasn't a line for the bathroom, and Emmett went in and took care of business. He could tell that someone was in the one of the stalls, but he didn't pay much attention. _Probably someone tweaking._

Turning on the water, Emmett began to wash his hands. The person in the stall stepped out and when the light reflected on his face, Emmett gasped. _Drew!_ Emmett had dated Drew Boyd a few months back; they'd broken up because Drew, having finally come out of the closet, was enjoying the attention of other men and instead of being jealous, Emmett had insisted that they go their separate ways.

Drew appeared to be drunk. Once he spotted Emmett, he shuffled toward him, beer sloshing over the rim of the beer bottle clenched in his fist. "Emmett?" he asked.

"Hey Drew. How've you been?" Emmett honestly didn't care how Drew had been, but for old times' sake...

"Terrible. That's how I've been."

"I'm very sorry to hear that. Well, if you'll excuse me..."

"Wait! I want to talk to you."

"Sorry, someone's waiting for me."

"Come back! I love you, Emmett!"

Emmett stopped dead in his tracks. "What?" he asked, turning to face Drew.

"I love you," Drew repeated, smiling crookedly.

"You're drunk. You don't know what you're saying," Emmett insisted, shaking his head.

"I may be drunk, Emmett, but I do know what I'm saying. I have something for you." He reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

"Is that...?" Emmett couldn't finish his sentence.

"Marry me baby. Come on. Please?"

Emmett was speechless. _Oh my God, what am I going to do?_ he wondered. After a long pause he said "Drew, I'm sorry, but no."

"No."

"No," Emmett repeated with finality.

"Who is he?" Drew asked dejectedly.

"That's none of your business." Emmett turned to go.

"Wait!" Drew lunged at Emmett and they crashed into the wall. Drew covered Emmett's mouth with his own. Strangely, Emmett didn't fight him. The familiar feeling of Drew's lips stirred his long forgotten passion. Moaning softly, Emmett reached down the front of Drew's jeans, squeezing his erection softly. It wasn't until then that he realized just how much he had missed Drew.

Suddenly, Emmett could hear footsteps. Looking past Drew, he saw Brian. _Shit! _"Brian!" Emmett tried to sound nonchalant. "We were just...talking," he lied.

"I know." Brian watched Drew stagger to the door, where a bouncer was waiting. "Get him a cab," Brian said.

"Sure thing, Brian," the bouncer replied, pulled Drew toward the exit.

"I can't believe that just happened," Emmett confessed, chewing his lip. _I love Calvin! What the fuck is going on!_

Brian watched Emmett suspiciously. "Lucky for you I had to take a piss."

"Yeah." Emmett forced himself to laugh. Who knew how far it would have gone...

"I still have to piss."

"Oh, right. Sorry." Emmett walked out of the bathroom and spotted Ted and Blake on the second floor catwalk. Making his way up the stairs, he calmed himself enough to the point where he could act as though nothing happened; he didn't want a big deal made of it. "Hey guys," he said, coming up behind them. "The bathroom was packed."

"We were wondering what was taking you so long." Ted laughed.

After a while, Brian joined them. "Are you ladies enjoying yourselves?" he teased.

"Very much," Ted replied.

"I'm so glad you decided to reopen Babylon," Blake said. "If this place had stayed closed, I'd have had to go to Meathook to party."

"You never told me you were into kinky stuff!" Ted exclaimed, pretending to be affronted.

"You never asked," Blake replied, kissing him. Brian had to look the other way to avoid remembering Justin.

Pulling a vial out of his pocket, Brian snorted its contents. "You know, I really wish you wouldn't do that stuff," Ted said sternly.

"Theodore, I'm thirty-fucking-three years old. I can make my own decisions," Brian replied.

"Make your own decisions about what?" Michael asked.

"Michael, I didn't know you were going to be here!" Emmett said, smiling.

"I'd decided not to, but then I thought about it and figured that someone had to keep Brian company."

"Gee, thanks Mikey. What am I? Your grandma?"

"You'd look adorable with glasses," Michael teased.

"Fuck you." Brian shook his head.

"Are you okay, Brian?" Michael asked.

"I'm fine."

"He's doing drugs," Ted said.

"I always do drugs!" Brian insisted. "Why are you making such a fucking big deal about it?"

"As a former addict and your friend, it irks me," Ted admitted.

"I'm fine. I'm not addicted, I can stop anytime I want to."

"Prove it."

Brian laughed. "Make me, Theodore." He turned and headed down to the bar. "I'll be back," he said to Michael.

"Where's Ben?" Emmett asked.

"He's at home grading papers. I am so glad that I didn't decide to become a college professor; you should see the stack of papers he comes home with."

"No, thank you," Emmett joked.

With a glance over his shoulder to make sure Brian was still at the bar, Michael said, "Did you guys hear about Justin yet?"

"No. What?" Ted asked.

"He's coming back to stay," Michael replied, smiling. "Hopefully that'll get Brian off the inhalants. Honestly, I don't like it anymore than you guys do, but he won't listen to me either."

Michael's cell phone rang and he looked at the Caller ID to see that it was Justin.

* * *

Justin's plane arrived on time and he had just enough money left over to get a cab. When he got to the loft, he saw that Brian's car was nowhere to be seen. _He's probably at Babylon_, Justin thought. Luckily, he still had a key.

Letting himself into the loft, Justin saw that everything was pretty much the same as it had been last time he'd been there. He set his bags down in the bedroom and lay on the bed, inhaling Brian's scent from his pillow. _This could take awhile._ Justin decided to call Michael. After a few rings he picked up.

"Hello?" Michael said.

"Michael, its Justin. Where's Brian?" He could hear deafening music in the background and knew that Michael was at Babylon.

"He's at Babylon, why?"

"I'm at the loft."

"You are!"

"I flew in early as a surprise."

"That's great!"

"Yeah. Do you think you can get Brian here?"

"I can try."

"Thanks." Justin hung up. He got up and hid his bags in the closet. Turning out the lights and locking the door, he waited outside the apartment building.

* * *

"Who was that?" Ted asked. Brian was on his way back and Michael had to talk quickly.

"It was Justin. He's at the loft."

"No way!" Emmett exclaimed, smiling.

"He wants me to get Brian back home – now."

Brian noticed the tension in the air. "What?" he asked. Everyone one was looking at him.

"You must be tired," Michael said, yawning. "I know I sure am."

"Then go home and tucked into bed with the Professor," Brian replied.

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine, Mikey, I've been living on my own for almost twenty years now."

"That's not what I meant."

"What did you mean, Mikey?"

"I just thought you might be tired, is all."

"Since when are you my boss?"

"Hey, don't be a dick. I was just saying..."

"Forget it. You know what, I'll go home so you can all talk about me when I'm not there and laugh at how I got dumped. Some friends you are. Fuck you, Michael." Brian turned and stormed down the stairs.

"Shit." Michael followed after Brian. "Brian! Look, I'm sorry, okay?" he said, putting his hand on Brian's shoulder.

Brian shrugged his hand off. "It's fine Mikey, okay? I'm going."

"Do you really think that we laugh at you behind your back?" Michael asked, hurt.

"No, but you four are definitely up the something. Every time I'm around you act like there's some great secret that I can't know."

"No," Michael lied, avoiding eye contact. "Go home and tomorrow I'll tell you the truth okay?"

"Fine. Later." Brian got into his car.

"Bye." Michael watched Brian drive off as he had a few nights before.

* * *

Brian hated coming home to an empty apartment. Once upon a time, he'd love it. But now, everywhere he turned, there was a reminder of Justin. Opening the door, he slipped out of his shoes and set his jacket on the table near his laptop. Just as he was about to head into the bathroom, there was a knock at the door.

_What the hell?_ Brian opened the door and was surprised to see Justin standing in the threshold. Without a word, they kissed. Brian led Justin into the bedroom and they fell onto the bed.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Back in Pittsburgh where he belongs, Justin resumes his relationship with Brian. But will they go back to an open relationship, or pick up where they left off? At the hospital, Debbie, Michael, and Emmett get news on Carl's condition. Michael and Justin consider doing another issue of _Rage. _Ted and Blake's plans of a quiet night in together are spoiled.


	4. Back in Brian's Arms

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Justin returned to Pittsburgh and surprised Brian.

Debbie found Carl passed out on the floor of the bathroom floor and rushed him to the hospital.

At Babylon, Emmett ran into his ex, Drew Boyd, in the bathroom. Drunk, Drew proposed. Losing control, Emmett kissed Drew, forgetting all about his boyfriend, Calvin.

* * *

Chapter Three

Justin lay in Brian's arms. He had lost count of the number of times they'd had sex, but judging from their breathless and sweaty state, it was clear that it had been a few. Brian lit up a cigarette and took a drag. Justin reached for the cigarette and did the same. _God that was great! I've missed this._

Brian was running his hand up and down Justin's back. His very touch gave Justin goose pimples. _I want to stay like this forever. I love you, Brian_. Justin began to reflect on the night that he met Brian, one of the best nights of his life. "Do you remember the first time we had sex, when you said that you wanted me to always remember it so that no matter who I was ever with you'd always be there?" Justin asked when he had caught his breath.

"Vaguely," Brian replied. He'd been high at the time, but he did remember it.

"Did you love me then?" Justin asked. It was something he'd always wondered in the back of his mind. Brian eyed Justin for a few moments before smiling. "Come on, tell me!"

"No, I won't tell you," Brian replied.

Justin sat on Brian's chest and twisted his nipples, not too hard, just enough to show that he meant business. "Tell me!" he jokingly ordered.

Brian laughed and pulled Justin back into his arms. "Yes," Brian conceded, chuckling. Justin nuzzled Brian's shoulder with his nose. "I love you." He stroked Justin's head.

"I love you, too, Brian." Justin closed his eyes. He had been tired all day and the sex hadn't helped at all. "I missed you."

"How long are you here for?" Brian asked.

Justin didn't reply right away. He didn't want to argue with Brian on his first night back, and he certainly didn't want to go back to New York. "Indefinitely," he finally said.

"Good," Brian whispered, kissing the tip of Justin's nose.

"Wait, did I just hear that correctly? Aren't you going to tell me that giving up on my career is foolish and that you wouldn't be able to live with yourself if you knew that I gave it up for you?" Justin asked.

"No. I've had a lot of time to think since you left. I realized that I need you here, Justin."

"Did you miss me?"

"A lot."

"Like, every minute?"

"Like, every second."

"Why didn't you call me?" he asked, propping his head in his hand.

Brian sighed, scratching his chin. "It hurt too much," he confessed. "I couldn't go back and reopen those wounds. You were gone and…"

"Hey." Justin reached out and grabbed Brian's hand. "I only went because you told me to. I never wanted to leave you. And now that I'm back, I'm never going to leave again."

"You'd better not." Brian smiled, his eyes lighting up.

Justin's heart melted. "Will you marry me?" he blurted. _I can feel it, this is the right time_. "If you don't want to..." Before Justin could finish the sentence, Brian kissed him. Justin lost his train of thought and surrendered to his passion.

Reaching over to the bedside stand, Brian grabbed the ring cases. Taking out the smaller ring, he slipped it onto Justin's ring finger. He then did the same to his ring finger. Justin looked at him and he grinned. They kissed again. Justin ran his hand down Brian's stomach and realized that Brian was just as aroused as he was. _Damn this man has stamina_!

Brian looked at Justin. "You up for another round?" he asked, already reaching for the condom packet. Justin nodded. Brian tore the packet open with his teeth and slipped the condom on. _Here we go again_! Justin thought.

* * *

The sun rose too early. Brian's alarm bleeped and he quickly turned it off. Justin stirred, but did not fully wake up. _He's so adorable when he's asleep, _Brian thought, smiling. They hadn't fallen asleep until about three in the morning and he had only gotten four and half hours of sleep, but it was worth it. Stumbling out of bed, he got into the shower. The steaming water felt good on his tired muscles.

Brian closed his eyes and thought about the events of the previous night. He was shaken out of his reverie by a hand on his shoulder. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Justin. "Come back for more, have you?" he joked, turning around to face Justin.

"Do you have time?" Justin asked.

"I can make time." Brian pulled Justin to him and kissed him. Then, he spun Justin around so that his back was to him. Kissing the nape of Justin's neck, Brian could see that his mere touch aroused him.

He quickly exited the shower to grab a condom and a tube of lube. Justin took the condom from him, opened it, and slipped in on Brian. Brian handed the lube to Justin who squirted a little into his hand and then applied it to himself. When he was finished, Brian entered him. Justin's back arched a little and Brian grabbed a patch of Justin's golden hair, gently tugging on it.

They were both in total ecstasy. Time became no object and nothing else mattered but them. Brian slowly moved his hips, and Justin gasped pleasurably. The pleasure kept building up until they both climaxed at the same time.

For a long time they just stood still, letting the hot water soak them. Finally, Justin said, "Don't you have to go to work?" _Shit_! Brian nodded. After a few more minutes of kissing and groping in the shower, Brian got out. Drying off, he went to his closet and picked out a clean suit to wear.

Justin stayed in the shower for a bit longer, but came out in time to see Brian off. "I'll be back around six," Brian said, putting his coat on and grabbing his car keys.

"I'll be here," Justin replied. Brian kissed him and stared into his eyes. "What?" Justin asked.

"Nothing," Brian replied, smiling. With that, he waved goodbye and left for work.

With Brian at work, Justin decided to stop by the Liberty Diner to catch up with his friends. Because he did not have a car, Justin walked. Liberty Avenue was exactly as he had remembered it, how he had missed it! Occasionally, he'd pass by someone he recognized from Babylon or Woody's. _I never ran into anybody I knew in New York_.

Justin was so lost in thought that he almost walked right by the Liberty Diner. _Deb is going to freak_! he thought excitedly. Only, when he looked into the diner, he saw that it was empty, and also that the CLOSED sign hung on the door. _That's weird, the diner is never closed_. A man that Justin recognized from the diner walked by and he asked, "Do you know why the diner's closed?"

The man stopped and looked at Justin. "Something happened with Deb, I don't know what. I hope she's okay," he replied. Panic set in, _oh no. Not Deb_!

"Thanks," Justin mumbled, his heart racing._ I have to get to the hospital. Think Justin, think_. Justin called his mother.

"Hey Justin, honey," his mom said.

"Mom, I need your help."

"What's wrong? Are you okay" she asked, alarmed.

"I'm fine, Mom. It's Deb."

"Debbie? Debbie's here in Pittsburgh last time I checked."

"I know, so am I," Justin confessed.

Silence. "When were you going to tell me?" Jennifer asked.

"I just got in late last night. I went straight to Brian's. I was going to call you after breakfast."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the Liberty Diner."

"I'll be right there."

Jennifer pulled up a few minutes later. Justin got into the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt. "Where is she?" Jennifer asked.

"Let's try her house first. If she's not there, she'll be at the hospital."

Deb was not at home. Justin rang the doorbell a dozen times and got no response. Apparently, Emmett and Carl weren't home either. Getting back in the car, Justin said, "She must be in the hospital." On the way, Justin and his mother rode in silence.

When they arrived at the hospital Justin hurried in. Before he could ask the nurse for Deb's room number, he spotted Michael, Deb, and Emmett down the hall. Deb happened to turn and spot him. "Sunshine?" she asked incredulously.

"Oh Deb, thank God! I thought something had happened to you!" Justin gasped, throwing his arms around her.

"Why ever would think that?"

"The diner was closed and some guy told me that something happened to you. I figured it must've been pretty bad if the diner was closed."

"No, I'm fine, Sunshine. It's Carl." Her voice broke.

"What happened?"

"Best they can tell, he had a stroke."

"Is he okay?"

"He's doing fine right now. They're trying to figure out how much damage was done. They gave me a bunch of information, but I can't remember. I can't help but remember the last time I was here, right after that bomb went off in Babylon and nearly killed Michael. And then I think of when Vic was sick and we all thought he was dying...if I never see the inside of a hospital again it'll be too goddamn soon." Justin chuckled. "Weren't you coming back this weekend?" Deb finally asked.

"I decided to come back early and surprise Brian."

"Was he surprised?"

"We both were."

"That a boy," Deb teased, putting her arm around Justin. "How long are you staying for?"

"I've decided not to go back to New York."

"Not that I don't want you here, Sunshine, but what about your art? I thought that Simon Caswell guy guaranteed you a successful career. Wasn't that the reason you left?

"I couldn't work there. Without Brian, it was like I couldn't focus. I couldn't stop thinking about him and how much I regretted leaving him. I'd worked so hard to get to love me back and when he finally did, I abandoned him. I'm just glad he didn't find someone else while I was gone." He chewed his lip. "Anyway, I can paint here in Pittsburgh."

"I'm happy for you, Sunshine."

"That's not all."

"What? Don't tell me you're pregnant?" Deb joked.

"Brian and I are getting married."

"For real this time? I still have your wedding present."

"Yes, for real. I think going to New York was good for us because it made us both realize how much we need each other and are lost when we're alone."

"Congratulations!" Debbie said, hugging Justin.

Having dropped Justin off at the door and gone to park her car, Jennifer came into the lobby. "Debbie, is everything okay?" she asked, breathless.

"Carl had a stroke," Deb said. Before Jennifer could ask if he was okay, she continued. "He's doing okay. They don't know the extent of the damage right now, but they're looking into it."

Jennifer nodded. "That's great. Look, I'm sorry to leave like this, but I have a showing in fifteen minutes. Will you be okay?" she asked Justin

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Thanks." He kissed his mother on the cheek. "I'll see you later." Jennifer waved goodbye to Debbie and Justin and left.

Emmett and Michael made their way over to Justin. After exchanging hugs, they all went and sat outside of Carl's room. The doctors were still running tests on him, which made everyone nervous. If he was fine, what was taking so long?

At long last, the doctor approached them. "Mrs. Novotny?" he asked.

"Yes!" Deb shot up like a rocket. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Perhaps we should discuss this in private," the doctor suggested.

"No. Anything you have to say you can say in front of them. They're family."

"All right then. I've run some tests, as you know, and as far as we can tell, Mr. Horvath is going to be just fine."

"Thank God!" Debbie screamed, throwing her arms around the nearest person, who happened to be Justin.

"But, he may still have to undergo rehabilitation treatments. Sometimes after a stroke, the patient loses the ability to swallow, which can lead to aspiration pneumonia, we'll have to keep a close eye on that. Fortunately, it appears to be a small stroke, so the chances of permanent damages are very, very low."

"Thank you, doctor," Michael said, shaking the doctor's hand.

"It's my job. I recommend that we keep Mr. Horvath for observation for another couple of days and then if everything is okay, he can go home" The doctor's pager went off. "Sorry, I have to go check in on another patient." The doctor walked away.

"Thank you," Deb muttered, sitting back down again. They could not go see Carl yet because he was sleeping. "Why don't you guys go home? I'll be fine here."

"Ma, are you sure?" Michael asked.

"Of course, I'm sure. Don't you have work?"

"I don't," Emmett said. He had recently worked as Channel Five's Queer Guy, until he'd been fired for kissing Drew Boyd on television.

"Me neither," Justin replied.

"Actually, I was hoping you'd come with me. I want to discuss doing another issue of _Rage_," Michael said to Justin.

"Okay. I guess I'll see you guys later." Deb and Emmett waved goodbye.

"I'm fucking starving!" Justin heard Deb say as he and Michael walked away. _You can't help but love Deb_.

"How've you been?" Michael asked. It was funny that when Justin had first come into their lives, Michael had hated him, mainly because he'd been in love with Brian and didn't want any competition.

"I've been fine. I missed Brian," Justin confessed. "What about you?"

"I've been great. Ben and I adopted Hunter."

"Congratulations! So Proposition Fourteen didn't pass then."

"No, thank God We're really happy. The _Rage_ wedding issue is still selling like crazy. You wouldn't believe how often I have to order more, it's making us rich! Which reminds me, I have a few checks for you back at the store."

"Oh, I completely forgot about those."

"So, anyway, how do you feel about doing another issue of _Rage_?" Michael asked.

Justin considered it for a moment. _Rage_ was selling really well and he loved drawing the comic. _And I need a job_. "I think we can pull it off. I have a great idea: J.T. gets brainwashed into leaving Gayopolis and without him, Rage loses his powers and becomes terminally ill. Zephyr has to find J.T. and bring him back before Rage dies."

"I like it!" Michael said, clapping Justin on the back.

"I can start on the sketches tonight."

"Aren't you going to be a little busy?"

"No, Brian and I took care of that last night." Justin couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"Yeah, right. You guys haven't seen each other for a month and you think one night of fucking your brains out is enough? Knowing you two like I do, I'm surprised either of you left the house!"

Justin laughed. I_ am so glad to be home_! he thought.

* * *

Ted and Blake decided not to go to Babylon that night. Instead, they opted to stay at Ted's apartment and watch _Phantom of the Opera_. Ted was a huge opera fan and had turned Blake onto it as well a few years back "Christine is amazing, isn't she?" Blake asked.

"Yes she is. Who ever knew that Emmy Rossum was a closeted opera singer?" Ted joked.

"And Gerard Butler, he is so gorgeous!"

"More gorgeous that me?

"No one is more gorgeous than you." They kissed. "Except Ashton Kutcher."

"Hey!" Ted said, lightly smacking Blake's arm. "I am hotter that Ashton Kutcher!" They burst out into laughter.

Suddenly, Blake's beeper went off. "Shit," he whispered, checking it. "Ted, I'm sorry, but they need me at the clinic. You don't hate me, do you?"

"No, of course not. Is everything okay?"

"I don't know. I'll see you later." Blake leaned in and kissed Ted. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Blake smiled and left.

Pausing the DVD, Ted went into the kitchen of his apartment. He managed to find a bag of popcorn after vigorously searching through his cupboards. After a few minutes in the microwave, it was ready to eat.

Ted went and sat back on the couch and resumed the movie. After a minute or so, he lost interest. _I can't watch it without Blake_, he decided. Turning off the TV, Ted decided to go to bed. He was pretty tired and since he had nothing to distract him, figured that a few more hours of sleep wouldn't kill him.

With the bag of popcorn in tow, Ted climbed into bed and turned out the light.

* * *

Brian had been home at six like he'd promised. They'd ordered in for dinner, Thai from their favorite restaurant. After eating, Justin had begun working on his sketches for the new _Rage_. Now that he was back with Brian, his creativity flowed out through his pen onto the paper. Justin was so focused on his drawing that he did not hear Brian walk up behind him. "What are you working on?" Brian asked, massaging Justin's shoulders. He moaned, Brian's slightest touch arousing him.

"The new issue of _Rage_. This might be the best one yet."

"What's the story?"

Justin recapped his earlier pitch to Michael. "What do you think?" he asked.

Brian took a moment to consider. "I think it's great," he replied, kissing the back of Justin's neck. "You know what I think would be even greater?"

"What?" Justin asked, though he already knew the answer.

"This." Brian picked Justin up and carried him to the bed, kissing him all the while. Laying Justin down, Brian pulled down his pants and went down on him.

Justin was in absolute ecstasy. He clasped Brian's hair tightly. Brian meanwhile, ran his hand up and down Justin's stomach. _Oh God! It feels so good_!

When Brian was finished, Justin said, "Okay, your turn." Brian had gotten many blowjobs before, most of them in the back room at Babylon, but never had he enjoyed it as much as he did with Justin. To be honest, he even enjoyed sex more with Justin than with the numerous partners he'd had in the past.

Brian climaxed with a loud groan and then, after a few moments, began to remove his clothes. He hadn't slept with anyone while Justin was away and had longed for Justin every night while he was away. Now that Justin was back, they had some catching up to do.

Luckily, Justin felt the exact same way. He pulled his shirt off and then lay down beside Brian. They kissed while Brian got the condom and lube. It didn't matter how many times they had sex, Justin always remembered their first time, just as Brian had wanted him to. It had been the best night of his life, except for his prom night, which he could barely remember and the night that Brian had finally told him that he loved him.

Time seemed to stretch on forever, it had a way of doing that when they were making love. Neither one wanted it to end. Justin clasped Brian's back caring about nothing in the world except Brian, the man who had taught him everything he knew, who had encouraged him to be the best homosexual he could possibly be. The man he loved.

They climaxed at the same time, as they often did. Panting, Brian lay down next to Justin, who rested his head on Brian's chest. They fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk:** Brian and Justin's wedding is back on - with Gus as the ringbearer. Wanting to commemorate Justin's return, Brian guys tickets to Paris. Melanie and Lindsay plan to pay a visit for the wedding. Debbie grows weary of taking care of Carl and looks forward to some time alone. Michael and Ben agree to keep an eye on Carl so that Debbie can get out of the house. Emmett gets a little surprise while pleasuring Calvin.


	5. Insomnia

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin decided to go ahead with the wedding.

Debbie was relieved to hear that Carl would be fine after suffering a small stroke.

Michael and Justin started to work on the next issue of _Rage._

Ted and Blake's date night was interrupted.

* * *

Chapter Four

The wedding preparations were underway. After talking to Melanie and Lindsay, Brian and Justin had decided to postpone their wedding until the girls came to visit, mostly because Brian wanted his and Lindsay's son Gus to be the ring bearer as he was supposed to have been at their failed wedding last time. "Do we have to invite the munchers?" Brian had jokingly asked. He and Lindsay were very close friends, while he and Mel tolerated each other––barely.

"Of course! You know that Melanie and Lindsay have always been there for me, how could we not invite them?" Justin had replied.

Melanie and Lindsay were set to visit the first week of June, so that gave Brian and Justin two weeks to take care of everything. This time, they'd decided to keep it even more low key than before – no rehearsal dinner, no bachelor party; although last time it had been a surprise; and definitely as few guests as possible.

Since no one from Brian's family was coming to the wedding and only Justin's mom and sister were coming from his family, that left more room for their closest friends: Michael, Ben, Ted, Blake, Emmett, Calvin, Melanie, Lindsay, Deb, Carl, Daphne, Cynthia, and Shelby.

Brian gave Justin free reign to do as he pleased regarding the wedding, he just wanted Justin to be happy. As it turned out, Brian had kept the house that he'd purchased for himself and Justin prior to their engagement. Now, they had to decided whether to sell it or move there.

"It'll be weird leaving the loft," Justin said, glancing around at the place that had been his home with Brian for the past four years.

"Too weird?" Brian asked. It didn't really matter to him either way, as long as he and Justin got to be together.

"No. It's just that this place has so much history. This is the place where we made love for the first time, practically every time. We've had sex on pretty much every surface of this apartment!"

"I remember," Brian said with a smile. "The new house has a lot more space, which means more room to fuck in," he joked.

"Let's do it," Justin decided. As much as he loved the loft, the house that Brian had bought for them was their home now.

"We can stay here until after the wedding. I'll put it back on the market and see what happens." Justin was nearly done with his preliminary sketches for _Rage_, and he knew thatMichael would be pleased. Who knew, if they could keep coming up with new ideas, Justin and Michael could become very rich with _Rage_, even though the film adaption had not made it to production. "I have to go to Babylon for a bit. Do you want to come?" Brian asked, putting on his leather jacket.

"Sure, just give me a few minutes to finish up here and get changed." Justin had not been to Babylon since returning to Pittsburgh. Brian had gone a few times to make sure that everything was running smoothly, but most nights he stayed in and they made love.

Justin finished his sketch and hurriedly threw on a long sleeved shirt and jeans. Brian handed him a jacket and they left. On the way to Babylon they conversed about different things – work, the wedding, moving.

When Brian pulled up by Babylon, Justin was reminded of everything that had happened there. _This is where we first met_, he thought, spotting the streetlight on the corner. Justin could tell that Brian was thinking the same thing. They looked deeply into each other's eyes and were just about to kiss when they were interrupted by Emmett and his boyfriend, Calvin. "Sorry to interrupt boys, but they lost the key and can't get in."

Brian sighed and got out of his car. He used his master key to unlock the door and the crowd of clubbers cheered loudly. Brian, Justin, Emmett, and Calvin ducked into the club for a few minutes of peace before the doorman started to let the people in. Brian and Justin went about setting up quickly. The dancing boys were already in costume and were waiting at their posts. Brian dimmed the lights and turned on the sky lights. Turning the music on was a signal to the doorman to open the doors. Enjoying one last moment of silence, Brian turned the music on.

The doors opened and in the blink of an eye the club was filled with men. Brian and Justin began to dance together, something that they had not done for a long while, since before that bomb had gone off and nearly killed Justin, Emmett, and many of others. Melanie and Lindsay's friend Dusty had been killed, this was one of the events that had convinced them to leave Pittsburgh. The night of the tragic event had been the night that Brian had told Justin that he loved him– for the first time. Being back in Babylon for the first time since that night caused all of the panic and heartache to return, caused Justin to freeze.

Brian turned and saw the fear etched on Justin's face. "What's wrong?" he asked, looking around for anything that might upset Justin.

"It's...nothing," Justin lied, struggling to regain his composure.

"Don't lie to me. I know you too well to believe that," Brian replied.

"I was just remembering the last time I was here...the night the bomb went off."

"Shit. I completely forgot," Brian confessed. "I've been here so many times since then that I don't even think about it anymore, but you…" he paused. "Do you want to leave?"

"No. I'm here with you; you'll keep me safe," Justin said, kissing Brian.

"Get a room!" someone shouted.

"Fuck off!" Brian replied. He and Justin laughed.

"I love this song," Justin said after a brief pause.

"Me, too." Brian looked at Justin intently.

"What?" Justin asked, suddenly feeling self conscious.

"Now you got me remembering that night," Brian confessed, smiling. "I was so scared when I heard that a bomb had gone off here...I thought you were dead. I kept praying to God that you were all right, that I wouldn't lose you."

"You didn't lose me, Brian. I'm here."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," Brian said, hugging Justin tightly. Together, they swayed to the music.

* * *

When Carl had been released from the hospital with a clean bill of health, Deb had been so relieved. As it turned out, the only permanent damage that he had sustained was a slight limp. The doctor had recommended that Carl put in for an early retirement, which was only a few weeks early.

Deb had taken him home and made him stay in bed for the weekend. "If I hear one more peep out of you, I'll smother you with a fucking pillow!" she jokingly threatened when Carl complained for umpteenth time about wanting to get out of bed. "The doctor said to stay in bed for a few days and by God you're going to do it!" The doorbell rang.

Debbie was used to taking care of sick people – she'd taken care of her brother Vic for years; but never a sick person who complained as much as Carl did. _I'm going out of my goddamn mind_! Deb thought as she headed downstairs. Thankfully, she was getting a break. Michael and Ben had offered to spend the evening with Carl so that Deb could take a break, and she'd immediately jumped at the prospect.

Opening the door, Deb was surprised to see not Michael and Ben, but Hunter. "Hunter? What's wrong?" she asked. She figured something bad must've happened for him to turn up at her doorstep.

"Nothing, Grandma. I just wanted to come and visit for awhile." It was strange how much Hunter had changed in the two and a half years he'd lived with Michael and Ben; he'd been foulmouthed and disrespectful initially, but had transformed into a polite, respectful young man. "That's very sweet honey. Actually, I'm waiting for Michael and Ben to get here so I can go out, would you like to come with me?" she asked.

"Sure. Where are we going?"

"I don't know, I thought I'd go do some grocery shopping while I have the chance."

"Cool."

"Why don't you come in sweetie, it's a little chilly out today." Hunter came into the house with her and they went into the kitchen. "How about some hot chocolate?" Deb suggested.

"Yes, please!" _Kids these days and their chocolate_, Deb thought as she began to prepare the hot chocolate.

"How's school going?" she asked.

"Okay. I'm top of my class."

"That's wonderful!" Deb said enthusiastically. "Just like Michael."

"Ben and Michael seem really proud."

"They should be, you're a fucking genius!"

"I'm just not used to that, you know? My mom never cared about stuff like that and when I was a hustler I dropped out of school. It's nice to have someone care."

"How many more school days do you have left?"

"I get out on the twenty-fifth, but we don't graduate until June."

The front door opened and Michael and Ben walked into the kitchen. "Hey Ma," Michael said, kissing Deb on the cheek.

"Hi sweetie. I'm making some hot chocolate, would you like some?" she asked.

"No, thanks," Michael and Ben said at the same time.

"Hunter what are you doing here?" Ben asked.

"I wanted to spend some time with Grandma. We're going grocery shopping."

"Oh, that's nice."

"Come on Hunter, let's go," Deb said after the hot chocolate was done, putting her coat on. She wanted to get out of the house as quickly as possible. "Thanks again you guys."

"It's our pleasure, Deb," Ben assured her.

Deb and Hunter got into the car––a birthday gift from Carl–– and talked idly. Now that she was away from Carl, Deb began to worry about him. Hunter could tell that she was a little upset and so kept up the constant patter of chit chat. "We should all go to Disney World for a weekend, don't you think, Grandma?" Hunter asked.

"That would be nice. Michael always wanted to go there as a kid but I could never afford for us to go. Then, with Vic sick, it wasn't an option." she replied, mentally calming herself. _He's fine. Get a grip Debbie_.

"This is really good," Hunter commented, sipping hot chocolate from a thermos.

"What did you expect?" Deb teased. Hunter laughed. "Did you hear about Brian and Sunshine yet?"

"They're getting married...again," Hunter said facetiously.

"They're getting married for real this time!" Deb insisted.

"What makes you think this time will be any different than last time?" Hunter asked.

Deb didn't know how to respond initially Of course, the best people to ask would be Brian and Justin, but they weren't there. "You know how I know? I've known Brian Kinney for over twenty years and before he met Sunshine, he'd pick up a trick, fuck him, and then never talk to him again. I have watched them both grow and mature over the last five years and I can just tell that they both love each other with all they have in them"

"Wow, Grandma, I never knew you were such a romantic."

"Don't be a smart ass. I'm serious."

"So am I." Debbie smiled at him.

"Justin says that while he was away in New York, he realized that he couldn't live without Brian in his life and we all know how Brian was while he was away."

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I am!" They both laughed. "I'm happy for them. Brian and I have had our differences over the years, but I still love him like a son. I'm so glad that he finally found someone, and who better than Sunshine?"

They arrived at the grocery store. Luckily, Deb had made a list of all the things that she needed to buy so that she wouldn't have to wander around the store aimlessly. Hunter carried the basket. _Michael and Ben have definitely turned him into a gentleman, _Deb thought.

The shopping trip didn't take as long as Deb had expected it to. "Do you want to go see a movie? I haven't seen a movie in theaters for years!" she enthused.

"Sure. What do you want to go see?"

"We'll figure it out when we get there. Let's drop these groceries off at home first."

Michael and Ben agreed to stay for a couple of extra hours so that Deb and Hunter could go see a movie. Once at the movie theater, they agreed on a screening of _Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic_. "You are the coolest Grandma ever!" Hunter exclaimed.

"What can I say? I love raunchy." Deb chuckled. She put her arm around Hunter and they walked into the theater.

* * *

Things were heating up at Babylon. More customers were coming in and the back room was packed full of men participating in passionate trysts. Brian and Justin had decided not to partake in the events. They were, however, making out at the bar. "I'd like to get me some of that!" a man said in passing.

"Fuck off, he's mine!" Brian shouted after him. Turning back to Justin, he burst out laughing.

"I'm pretty sure he was talking about you," Justin said, chuckling.

"Maybe he wants a three way," Brian joked.

"I don't think I could handle a three way tonight," Justin played along.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm pretty whooped, too."

"Thankfully we don't have any next door neighbors. You probably would've been evicted by now!"

"Ah fuck 'em. They'd probably be dried up old biddies who haven't fucked since Kennedy was in office."

"That is a long time."

"Too long." They kissed again. "What do you say we call it a night? I still have to finish that ad for the Noble campaign launch."

"That's fine. I have to touch up a couple of my sketches before I show them to Michael tomorrow."

They left Babylon and got into the car. The drive wasn't too long, and Justin rested his head on Brian's shoulder. Brian nuzzled Justin's head with his chin. Before they knew it, they were home. While Justin set to work on his sketches, Brian quickly jumped in the shower. Justin completed his task and changed out of his jeans into some lounging pants.

Brian got out the shower, dried off, and put on a bathrobe. Justin decided to let him finish his work. Climbing into bed, he picked up novel he'd bought while in New York and had read about half way. His mind, however, always shifted back to Brian. Closing the book, Justin got under the covers and flipped idly through a magazine he'd bought earlier in the week.

Unbeknownst to Justin, Brian was not working on an ad campaign for work; he was planning a vacation to celebrate Justin's return. Ever since they'd met, Justin had been dying to go away with Brian – snowboarding in New Hampshire, the White Party in Miami, a week on the beach in Ibiza - New York was definitely out of the picture– it would bring up bad memories as would Los Angeles. After a few minutes of contemplation, Brian decided on Paris. Justin was going to love the Louvre.

After purchasing the tickets, Brian shut down his laptop and got into bed. Justin was flipping through an art magazine. "Anything good in there?" Brian asked, getting under the cover as well.

"There's some good stuff, way better than mine," Justin confessed, closing the magazine. "Did you finish your ad?"

"Yeah."

"That was quick."

"What can I say? I can be quick when I want to be," Brian joked. "Of course, you wouldn't know that."

"Of course," Justin agreed.

"What do you want to do this weekend?" Brian asked slyly.

"Is there something special about this weekend?" Justin retorted.

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Okay…" Justin cocked an eyebrow.

"Well?" Brian prompted.

"I'm fine with doing nothing. We're getting married in a few weeks, what more could I want?"

"Have it your way." Brian grinned smugly. "I just thought you'd like to do something special this weekend. Something to celebrate your triumphant return to Pittsburgh."

"As long as we're together, I couldn't want anything else," Justin replied, leaning over to kiss Brian.

They began to kiss. Before things could really heat up, Brian's cell phone went off. Rolling his eyes, he rolled over to answer it. "Hello," he said irritably.

"Hi Daddy." It was Gus, Brian's son.

"Hey Sonny Boy." Brian's tone was much lighter. "Aren't you up a little late?"

"I'm sick."

"The lesbians aren't taking good care of you, are they?" Brian asked, joking.

"We're taking excellent care of him, aren't we Gus?" Lindsay said.

"Ah Lindsay. To what do I owe this tremendous pleasure?"

"Hello to you, too, Brian. Gus misses you and he wanted to call you and say hi."

"I figured. Put him back on."

"It's on speaker phone," Lindsay replied.

"Gus? It's okay, daddy's here." Brian tried to sound soothing, something he was unfamiliar with.

"He caught the flu at school. He hasn't been able to keep anything down all day. I took him to the doctor but they just prescribed some antibiotics."

"Stupid doctors," Brian muttered.

"He refused to go the sleep until I called you."

"That's my boy."

"Daddy, I want to come see you."

"You'll see me in a few weeks. I need you to be the ring bearer for me."

"Remember?" Mommy told you about the wedding?" Lindsay prompted.

"Yay!" Gus exclaimed.

"He sounds all right to me," Brian said.

"Now that he's talked to you. All right Gus, how about we say goodnight to daddy? You can call him again another time, okay?"

"Goodnight, Daddy."

"Goodnight, son. I love you." The phone disconnected. Brian's shoulders fell.

"Is everything okay?" Justin asked.

"Gus misses me. He refused to sleep until he talked to me."

"He's stubborn just like his father."

"Hey! Careful Sonny Boy, or you'll get a spanking," Brian joked, smacking Justin's backside.

"Ooh. Harder, Daddy!" Justin growled.

"I feel like such a shitty father," Brian confessed, his thoughts drifting back to Gus.

"You're not a shitty father, Brian. You care about your son. I have a shitty father. Trust me, I'm an expert."

Brian couldn't argue with that. Not only had Justin's father kicked him out of the house when he learned that his son was gay, he also refused to help pay for college and had had Justin arrested for protesting Proposition Fourteen outside his office.

He lay back down and Justin moved over to rest his head on Brian's chest. Brian wrapped his arm around Justin and turned off the light. They were both exhausted and Justin soon fell asleep. Meanwhile, Brian lay awake thinking about Gus. Would his son understand why he had let Melanie and Lindsay move to Toronto? Would Gus be as disgusted with his dad as Brian had been with his?

Brian did not fall asleep for a long time.

* * *

Emmett and Calvin had decided to go back to the house that Emmett shared with Deb. Silently, they made their way up to Emmett's room, careful not wake up Debbie. Pushing Calvin down on the bed, Emmett undid his belt and ripped his pants off. Calvin grinned in anticipation.

Not wasting another moment, Emmett took Calvin into his mouth. Using all the techniques that he had learned over the years, pleasure was ensured. After a few minutes however, Emmett could no longer hear Calvin quietly moaning.

Looking up, he saw that Calvin was fast asleep. Hurt and a little pissed off, Emmett removed Calvin's dick from his mouth and stood up, arms folded across his chest. _Do I give bad head_? he wondered. Now fully irritated, he shook Calvin roughly. "What?" Calvin muttered, half awake.

"You fell asleep," Emmett replied emotionlessly. "While I was sucking your dick."

"Sorry. I'm just so tired." Calvin nodded back off.

Emmett did not sleep well that night.

* * *

Hunter had opted to sleep over at Deb's. Michael and Ben saw this as a golden opportunity to make love. It had been awhile since they had last had sex, mainly because they didn't want Hunter to know what they were doing.

Ben slipped a condom on. Because of Ben's HIV status, it was crucial for Michael's safety that they always use protection. At first, Michael had been a little apprehensive, but his feelings for Ben were so strong that in the end it didn't matter to him.

They were not in their bedroom, but in the living room. Why limit yourself to a bedroom when you a whole house to yourself, they figured. Michael was sitting up, ready on the couch. His anticipation was apparent on his face. Ben made sure the condom was secure before he went to Michael. Applying lube, Ben slid into Michael smoothly. Michael groaned and closed his eyes.

Even though Ben was very spiritual, he never felt more peaceful than when he was making love to Michael. There was something about being one with his soul mate that calmed him in a way that nothing else ever could.

He began slow and steady, not wanting to finish too soon. Michael's legs were up on Ben's shoulders and he ran his right hand along one of Michael's legs. Ben could tell from Michael's facial expressions that he was definitely enjoying it. "Oh fuck!" Ben groaned as a surge of pleasure shot to his core. As the pleasure grew more intense, Ben began to move his hips faster and faster, his body covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

Michael clung desperately to Ben's waist, wanting it never to end. He was close, but he held steadfast; determined to extend the act. "Yeah," he whispered. He would've said something a little more profound, but all could concentrate on at the moment was the feeling of Ben inside of him and the intensifying pleasure.

With one final thrust, they both climaxed. "Fuck yeah!" Ben gasped, collapsing on top of Michael. They were both panting vigorously. Thanks to frequent trips to the gym, both men had strong stamina. Together they lay there for awhile, Michael idly stroking Ben's hair.

"I love you," Michael whispered into Ben's ear.

"I love you, too," Ben replied, lifting his head to kiss Michael. Their kissing began to slowly become more and more passionate. "Do you want to go again?" Ben asked, already feeling his body responding.

Michael could feel it as well. "I'm up for it if you are...and it definitely feels like you are," he joked. They kissed again. Ben removed the used condom and wrapped it in tissue paper. Grabbing another packet, he tore it open.

Once the protection was securely on, Ben again applied lube, his anticipation building. He entered Michael slowly once again, eager to make this round even longer than the last.

Neither Ben nor Michael got much sleep that night.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Justin and Daphne meet at the diner to catch up. A generous offer from Daphne gets Justin thinking. At the gym, Emmett regales the guys with his misadventure of the night before. Brian asks Michael to be his best man. Justin runs into someone he'd rather not see again, shaking him to the core. Emmett sets out to prove that he isn't bad in bed.


	6. Burn In Hell

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin began to plan for their upcoming wedding. Wanting to celebrate Justin's return, Brian bought them tickets for a vacation to Paris.

Debbie got sick of taking care of Carl and got out of the house for a few hours, spending some time with Hunter.

Michael and Ben, home alone, spent some quality time together.

Upset that Calvin had fallen asleep during sex, Emmett worried that he was great in bed.

* * *

Chapter Five

The next morning, Justin and Daphne met at the Liberty Diner to catch up. They hadn't seen each other since the rehearsal dinner when Brian and Justin had announced that the wedding off. Though they had spoken over the phone a couple of times. Justin and Daphne had been best friends for as long as either of them could remember and had missed each other in the past few months.

"So, how was New York?" Daphne asked, excitedly. She'd always wanted to go to New York, but hadn't gotten the chance yet.

"It was okay," Daphne raised her eyebrows at him. "All right; that's a lie. I hated it there," Justin replied, taking a sip of his soda.

"Why? Were there a lot of homophobes there?"

"Not particularly." Justin chuckled.

"What then? New York is like every gay man's fantasy home – it's got Broadway!" Daphne had been dying to see _Rent_, _Wicked_, and _Phantom of the Opera _for years.

"I missed Brian," Justin confessed. "I thought that if I convinced myself that going to New York was what I really wanted, things would work out. Once I got there, it became even more apparent to me that it wasn't what I wanted; what I wanted was to be with him."

"I hope I can find something like you guys have one day," Daphne said wistfully.

"Just hang in there, Daph. You'll meet some one. You just have to be patient."

"I've already tried that!" Daphne exclaimed." "How much more patient can I be?"

Justin wasn't entirely sure how to answer that. He'd pursued Brian relentlessly until Brian had finally given in, but his victory was not without heartache. "If you were a gay man, I could fix you up with someone at Babylon," Justin mused.

That got a giggle out of Daphne. "I'm so glad you're back, Justin," she said, smiling.

"Me, too," Justin agreed.

"How are things with Brian?" Daphne asked. Justin hadn't told her yet that the wedding was back on.

"They're great! He was really happy to see me."

"That's amazing! I always told you that he was the one, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did." He chuckled. "There's something else."

"What? Don't tell me you're having an affair!" Daphne gasped.

"No!"

"Then what!"

"We're getting married...again," Justin said, lamely.

"Congratulations!" Daphne exclaimed, throwing her arms around Justin. "I'm so glad you two are finally doing it! Do I get to be best man?" Daphne was definitely enthusiastic.

"You can be my best man," Justin confirmed. Daphne squealed.

"What the hell are you so excited about?" Deb asked, passing by with an order.

"Justin says I can be his best man!"

"That's fantastic!" Debbie said. "Do I get to be maid of honor?"

"You can be the matron of honor," Justin suggested.

"I suppose that'll have to do," Deb feigned huffiness. "Excuse me, order up."

"Won't your mom be pissed that you didn't ask her to be your matron of honor?" Daphne asked.

"I haven't told her about the wedding yet," Justin confessed. "Besides, I'm sure she'd much rather sit with Molly and Tucker." He said the name Tucker with slight distaste.

"You still don't like him, do you?" Daphne inquired.

"It's not that I don't like him per se. He makes my mom happy and I respect that, I just don't want him around all the time."

"Your mom felt the same way about Brian initially," Daphne reminded him.

"No. She _hated_ Brian at first. Remember when I got bashed? She convinced him to leave me alone and not because he was bad for me, but because she didn't approve. Thankfully she eventually got over it."

Daphne sipped her iced tea in silence. She remembered the night that Justin got bashed. He had invited Brian to their senior prom and they had danced in front of the whole senior class; it was beautiful. Sometime after that, Chris Hobbs had hit Justin in the head with a baseball bat, leaving him to bleed to death in Brian's arms. She shuddered at the memory, even though she hadn't witnessed the last part, she had seen Brian's blood spattered scarf that Justin had been wearing. "Did you guys set a date yet?" she asked, shivering slightly at the memory.

"Not an exact date. Melanie and Lindsay are visiting the first week of June and we're going to do it then so Gus can be the ring bearer."

"How cute!"

"I miss Gus," Justin realized. He'd never really given much thought to it before, but Gus was kind of like his son, too, in a way.

"Have you and Brian considered having a child?" Daphne asked. "Things have changed."

Justin didn't respond right away. He and Brian were taking things one step at a time. Marriage was a big enough hurdle for Brian; a child would have to wait. "I don't think now is the right time. Once we're married and he has some time to adjust, maybe we'll talk about it."

"You would make a great dad."

"Do you think? I guess I couldn't be any worse than my father." Justin shrugged.

"Your father is an asshole! And if there is one thing you aren't, it's an asshole."

"Thanks, Daph." Justin grinned.

"I bet Brian would say yes, if you asked him," Daphne continued.

"And who would we get to be the mother? Melanie and Lindsay are in Toronto..."

"Maybe...I could do it," Daphne offered. Justin laughed. "I was serious."

"Daphne, come on. You're kidding, right?"

"No," Daphne replied testily, her cheeks flushing.

"Well, that's very...nice of you. I don't know what to say," Justin rambled.

"Just forget it." Change the subject."

Justin couldn't help but notice that although Daphne was trying to hide it, her feelings were hurt. Unfortunately, he had no idea what to say. He took another drink of his soda and cleared his throat. "Shelby wanted me to say hi."

"How is she?" Daphne asked, her anger slowly dissipating.

"She's good. She's a crazy roommate," Justin confessed.

Daphne laughed, causing Justin to laugh as well. They were best friend till the end.

* * *

At the gym, Brian was working up a sweat before work. With him were Michael, Emmett, and Ted. They often went to the gym together, occasionally Ben would join them or Blake, but Justin was not interested, much to Brian's chagrin.

"What did you guys do last night?" Emmett asked Michael. "You and Ben didn't come to Babylon."

"We sat with Carl so my mom could go get groceries and then Ben and I went home and made love...four times!" Michael replied, with a chuckle.

"Good for you!" Emmett enthused.

"And where is the illustrious Professor this morning?" Brian asked, not that he really cared.

"He had an early class."

"Wow. You wore him out so badly that he couldn't even make it to the gym. Good job, Mikey."

"Haha."

"What about you, Teddy?" Emmett asked.

"Nothing too exciting. Blake and I stayed in, ordered take out, and watched a movie."

"How pleasantly gay of you," Brian commented.

"And what, pray tell, did you and Justin do last night after you left Babylon?" Ted shot back.

"We went home and fucked. Eight times," Brian lied. If he didn't tell anyone about the surprise trip to Paris, he didn't have to worry about anyone blabbing to Justin.

"Well that beats my night," Emmett confessed. "Calvin and I got a home and I was giving him head and I looked up...he was asleep! Can you believe that?" Emmett put his hands on his hips.

Brian broke out into uncontrollable laughter. At Emmett's angry look, he forced himself to stop. "Too bad, Honeycutt," he muttered.

"Don't call me Honeycutt," Emmett insisted. "I just can't believe this happened to me. He said he was just really tired, but no matter how tired I am, I have never fallen asleep while getting a blowjob...unless it was bad. Teddy, do I give bad head?" Everyone turned to look at Ted.

Ted and Emmett had briefly dated a few years back, but it had ended disastrously because Ted had gotten hooked on crystal meth. "Well...uh...I... no! You give great head, Em!" Ted insisted.

"What could it be, then?" Emmett wondered.

"Maybe he was telling the truth and was just really tired. God knows that it's happened to me before," Michael supplied. Brian turned to look at him. "Not with Ben. One time, I was giving David head and he fell asleep, but I knew it was because he was exhausted and nothing else!" Michael insisted.

"I've never fallen asleep while getting my dick sucked..." Brian began.

"That's because Justin is obviously good at it!" Michael retorted.

"That he is. Now, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted – I have never fallen asleep while getting my dick sucked, but there was that one time I got bored," he reminded them.

"That was the night you met Justin. Maybe the universe was trying to tell you that better head was coming your way," Michael joked.

Brian grinned widely. Emmett glared at him. "Thank you so much for that, Brian. Seriously," Emmett said, not as angry as he would have the others believe.

"Anytime." Brian set the weights he had been using down and said, "I'm going to go hit the showers." The others got off of their exercise equipment and followed him.

After a quick shower, Brian and Michael left together. They decided to stop by the Liberty Diner for a quick bite to eat, though Brian wasn't very hungry. "Can you believe how embarrassing that must've been for poor Emmett?" Michael asked, trying to make conversation.

"He'll survive. He and Calvin will fuck their brains out and everything will be back to normal," Brian assured him.

"I suppose." Michael agreed. "I would so mortified."

They had arrived at the Liberty Diner. Walking in, Brian spotted Justin and Daphne at a table. A grin quickly lit up his face. Michael sat down at the nearest table. Walking over, Brian sat down next to Justin, putting his arm around him and kissing him on the cheek. Brian looked over at Daphne, who was practically glowing. "Hello, Daphne. You're as gorgeous as ever," he said by way of greeting.

"Thanks Brian...you, too." she responded awkwardly, laughing nervously.

"So, what were two crazy kids talking about?" Justin and Daphne exchanged a look that was noticed by Brian, though he kept his mouth shut.

"Daphne's going to be my best man," Justin said casually, hoping that Brian wouldn't pick up on the weird vibes surrounding the table.

"I am so excited!" Daphne said, sounding extra cheery.

"And I'm going to be matron of honor!" Deb exclaimed, sitting down next to Daphne.

Brian shot Justin a look. "There is no matron of honor, Deb," he said dryly.

" Well, what the fuck kind of wedding are you having?" Debbie asked.

"A gay one," Brian reminded her.

"Who said that just because it's a gay wedding that you can't have a matron of honor?"

"Well, for one thing, there's no bride so why the fuck would there be a matron of honor?" Brian replied, rolling his eyes.

"I guess you're right," Deb admitted, defeated. "So, what will it be?" she asked, pen and pad ready.

"Nothing for me, thanks," Brian said, taking a sip of Justin's drink.

"What about you, Michael?"

"The usual, please." Deb nodded and walked away to give the order to the cook. "So, do I get to your best man again, Brian?" Michael asked.

"If you want to be," Brian replied.

"Of course! Are you kidding me? We've been best friends for how long? Did you seriously think I would pass up on an opportunity like this?"

"No, Mikey. There is no one I'd rather have as my best man." Brian looked at the time. "All right, I'm off to work." He kissed Justin. "I'll see you later," he said suggestively, causing Justin to blush slightly.

"Bye," Daphne and Michael said in unison. Brian waved at them as he walked out the door.

"You two are like twins," Justin said, smiling. Deb brought Michael's food over and left again.

"We're just happy to be included in the wedding," Daphne insisted.

"Yeah. It isn't like Brian Kinney getting married is something we all expected, you know. Besides, when Ben and I got married in Canada, Brian was my best man," Michael declared.

"Well, I' m glad to have to both of you as our best men. I just hope Ted and Emmett aren't offended because they're not included," Justin replied.

"I'm sure they'll be fine. It isn't like you and Ted are that great of friends anyway," Michael pointed out.

"I guess you're right," Justin conceded. "Besides Brian, you two are my best friends, and while I like Ted and Emmett, no one can replace you guys." Michael and Daphne grinned.

"I have to get to class," Daphne said, rising from her seat. "Call me and keep me updated."

"I will. Take care, Daph," Justin replied.

"Bye, Daphne," Michael said. "Oh, I'd better get going, too. The comic store isn' t going to open itself. See you later." Michael rose to go as well.

"Bye, honey!" Deb waved.

"Bye, Ma," Michael said with a mock embarrassed look at Justin, who burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Debbie demanded, hands on her hips.

"Nothing, Deb. I just remembered something funny," Justin lied, winking at Michael.

Left all alone, Justin finished his soda. He had no plans for the day and all of his friends were at work. Sighing, he pulled out his cell phone. _Better just bite the bullet now_, he told himself, dialing his mom's number. Luckily, it went straight to voice mail. "Hey, Mom, it's me. Things were so hectic last week, and I didn't get a chance to tell you that Brian and I are getting married. We're waiting for the end of the month when Mel and Linz will be visiting. We've decided that we want it to be on a smaller scale this time; only fifteen guests if you want to bring Tucker. Well, I'll talk to you later. Tell Molly I said hi," he hung up.

Having a few minutes of down time, Deb came and sat across from Justin. "Do you and Brian have any plans for this weekend, Sunshine?" she asked.

"Why is everyone so interested in our plans this weekend?" Justin asked, brows knit in confusion.

"I don't know," Debbie admitted. "I just thought that since I have Saturday off, we could go out and have drinks or something."

"That sounds nice." Justin smiled. "Brian and I talked about it last night. I told him that we don't have to do anything. Of course, if he did decide to do something, I wouldn't object," Justin confessed, a twinkle in his eye.

"How about you and I go to the mall. We could go...wedding shopping or something," Debbie suggested.

"I'd like that. Thanks, Deb." Justin kissed her on the cheek.

"Don't mention it, Sunshine. Listen, honey, I have to get back to work. Stop in or call me and let me know what you want to do, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Deb."

"Bye, sweetie."

Alone once more, Justin decided to go elsewhere, but where to go? Then it dawned on him – he'd forgotten the sketches for _Rage_ back at the loft. Throwing a twenty dollar bill down on the table to cover his share of the meal, Justin quickly left the diner headed for home. Once at the loft, he grabbed the pile of sketches off of his work table, safely put them in his bag and left once more. _I really need to get my own car_! Justin thought, running down the street. Luckily, Michael's shop wasn't too far.

Justin was slightly out of breath when he walked into the comic store. "Justin? What are you doing here?" Michael asked, confused. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon."

"The sketches," Justin managed, taking in deep breaths.

"Are you okay?

"Yeah...I just ran here...all the way from...the loft."

"Christ!" Michael exclaimed.

"It's fine. I just need to catch my breath." Justin pulled the sketches out his bag and handed them to Michael before taking a seat near the counter.

"These are great!" Michael exclaimed, looking at each page.

"Thanks. If you didn't like them, I'd have to kill you," Justin joked.

"I'll contact the publisher and send these in tomorrow." Michael placed the pile of sketches in a folder and then set it by his coat.

"Great. I'll see you later."

"Bye," Michael said. A customer came in and his attention shifted.

Justin began to walk. His thoughts drifted to the wedding. _It's going to be so beautiful; the best day of my life. Please God, don't let anything happen to stop it this time._ Some time later, he was brought back to reality by a voice. "Justin?" His head whipped up and he his heart leapt into his throat. It was his father.

"Dad?" Justin replied. His stomach churned; he never wanted to see his father again.

"What are you doing back here?" Craig asked.

"I live here," Justin said shortly. Why was his father even bothering to talk to him if he was just going to be a dick?

"Your mother told me you moved to New York. Something about pursuing an art career."

"Yeah, it didn't work out." _Why did I turn my cell phone off? _Justin wondered.

"I heard about you and Brian..." Craig began.

"What about me and Brian?" Justin retorted.

"You guys were going to get married, but then you left for New York. I'm so glad you finally got rid of him. If it weren't for him, I'd still have my son."

"What?" Justin balked. His father was still blaming Brian?

"I knew that you weren't really gay. It was just that pervert. He messed with your mind. He molested you and made you think that you were gay…"

"He didn't do anything, Dad. I am gay. Whether you like it or not, I was born that way."

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Craig mumbled, disappointedly.

"And I'm sorry you feel the way that you do," Justin shot back. It's pathetic that you would turn your back on your son just because he's gay. I'm the same person I was before."

"You're not the same. I don't even know you anymore, Justin. All I know is that prick took my son away from me and now I'll never get him back."

Justin clenched his fists furiously. "Just so you know, Brian and I are getting married."

"Oh, Christ." Craig scowled with disgust.

"We're going to have lots of hot, anal sex, Dad. I hope you can make it."

"I'm leaving!"

"You should really give it a try. It's so much better than you can even imagine."

"You're fucking disgusting!" Craig exclaimed, his face flushed with anger. "You are going to burn in hell for all of eternity. And you deserve it!"

"No, Dad," Justin said, looking Craig dead in the eyes. "You are."

"Don't talk to me like that!"

"You don't deserve my respect!" Justin declared, his anger flaring. Craig raised his hand to slap his son. Justin fought the urge to flinch. "Go ahead, hit me. That will be assault. I'll have you arrested just like you did me. Except I'll make sure you go to prison where there'll be plenty of butt fucking going on."

Without another word, Craig turned and stalked away. Justin watched him go.

* * *

Emmett and Calvin had met up for a late morning tryst. Deb was at work and therefore they had the house to themselves, except for Carl, but he was stuck in bed. After much contemplation, Emmett decided to listen to Michael and chalk the previous night's mishap to exhaustion. Calvin _had_ been doing a lot of traveling back and forth between Pittsburgh and Hazelhurst.

As he had the night before, Emmett went down on Calvin. Emmett had always considered himself an expert at giving head and was determined to prove it to Calvin, who was moaning with pleasure. "Oh God!" Calvin murmured in his southern drawl. "Don't stop!"

_Don't worry honey, I won't_! Emmett thought, pleased with himself. After a few more minutes,

Calvin's moaning had grown louder and with a final groan, he climaxed. "That was amazing!" Calvin exclaimed, grinning widely.

"Well, I do my best," Emmett replied, a satisfied smile on his face. "How about a little vigorous exercise?" he waggled his eyebrows.

"Yee haw!" Calvin pulled Emmett down onto the bed and began undressing him, all the while kissing his neck.

When they were both undressed, the real fun began. Calvin was the best that Emmett had ever had; he was a kind and attentive lover when necessary, but he also loved to be rough and wild. During their lovemaking, Emmett could not concentrate on anything. He was so euphoric that he was speechless.

When they had both finished, they lay for a long time, breathing heavily. "We're lucky we didn't break the bed, you stallion," Emmett commented, grinning widely.

"You're not so bad yourself, Mr. Honeycutt," Calvin replied.

After many minutes, Emmett checked the time on his cell phone. "Shit! I have to go. I have a job interview in twenty minutes," he said, getting out of bed and struggling to find his clothes.

"Where at?" Calvin asked, sitting up.

"I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." Emmett replied, kissing Calvin on the cheek before leaving.

"I love that boy," Calvin said to himself.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk:** Brian comforts Justin after he runs into his father. Ted and Blake leave for Chicago. Emmett has a job interview planning a party for a rich older couple. Debbie shows up and at loft and smokes pot with Brian, confessing to him that she is scared of losing Carl. Brian wonders how he is going to get Justin to the airport without spoiling the surprise.


	7. A Joint and Lemon Squares

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **While having lunch with Justin, Daphne made a generous offer.

Brian asked Michael to be his best man.

Justin ran into his father on the street, unfortunately, Craig is as hateful as ever.

Emmett proved that he we wasn't bad in bed.

* * *

Chapter Six

Brian was in a meeting with his latest client Ms. Stewart, a representative of Stewart pharmaceuticals. She had hired Brian and his staff to design an ad campaign for her company's latest product: Cold B Gone, a placebo of sorts.

True to form, Brian's ad featured hot young men with rippling muscles. Ms. Stewart loved it. "I'm very pleased Mr. Kinney. In fact, we have a new product coming out in a few months and guess who'll be designing the ad campaign?" she asked.

"That's great, thank you," Brian said, shaking her hand before Cynthia escorted her out of his office. Before the door could close, Ted came in, hands clasped behind his back, blushing nervously. "Yes, Theodore?" Brian asked, sitting at his desk.

"Hi, Bri. I was just wondering..." Even though Ted had been more self confident since his plastic surgery a few months back, he still had his weak moments.

"Just spit it out, Theodore," Brian commanded.

"Can I take off a little early today? My plane leaves in a few hours..."

"Plane? Where are you going?"

"Chicago. Remember? Blake's birthday?" Ted said.

"Oh yeah. _Chicago_ in Chicago. Could you two get any gayer?"

"Apparently not," Ted muttered.

"Fine. Go." Brian waved his hand.

"Thanks, Bri!" Ted said, smiling enthusiastically. He quickly left before Brian could change his mind.

Glad to have a few seconds to himself, Brian leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He was startled by the sound of a door slamming nearby. A few seconds later, Justin walked into the room. "Well, Sunshine, what a surprise," Brian said, cheering up. He noticed that Justin looked angry. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Guess who I ran into on the street?" Justin asked, face flushed beet red.

"Madonna?" Brian replied sarcastically.

"My father," Justin replied.

Brian's jaw clenched. "What did he want?" he asked, trying to contain his temper.

"To torment me," Justin replied, rolling his eyes. "I don't know why I let him to get to me."

"It's okay, come here," Brian muttered, pulling Justin into his arms.

"He said that I'm going to burn in hell," Justin said softly.

"He said that to you?" Justin nodded. "Oh, well, that's nothing we haven't heard before." Brian quipped to lighten the mood.

"I guess it's time to accept the fact that he's an ass," Justin remarked, sighing. "He's never going to change."

"Are you sure you can do that?" Brian asked.

"Yes."

"You don't need him," Brian whispered. "You've got me."

"True," Justin said, smiling. "I've got the best man in the world."

"What would you say if I wanted to leave early today?" Brian asked, grinning mischievously.

"I'd say, bring it," Justin replied, eyes twinkling. "As a matter of fact, I'd say bring it now. Here."

"Why, Mr. Taylor. I am appalled at your behavior," Brian joked, clearing off his desk.

Justin took off his coat and grabbed Brian, kissing him passionately. Brian laid him down on the desk and unzipped his pants. Justin quickly removed his clothes and reached into Brian's desk for the secret stash of condoms and lube that he kept there – just in case.

Brian picked up his phone and called Cynthia. "I have a headache, don't send anyone in."

Cynthia had worked with Brian long enough to know what that meant. Hanging up, he got on top of the desk and kneeled next to Justin.

When the condom was on and the lube applied, Justin got on top of Brian, who laughed. Once Brian was in him, Justin began to move his hips slowly. Brian's hands were clasped to Justin's back. They kissed, wanting more than anything to become one. "You know what you have that no else does?" Justin asked.

"What?" Brian wondered, although he already had a pretty good idea of what Justin's response would be.

"A really big dick." Brian chuickled. "And you know how to use it."

"I'm glad that you love my really big dick, and the way I use it," Brian teased, playfully pinching Justin's nipple. "You know? I kind of miss your nipple ring. It was hot."

"Maybe I'll put it back in–– just for you," Justin said, moving his hips faster. He was at his peak now and judging from Brian's passionate groans, so was he. With one final movement, they climaxed.

"You know what you have that no one else does?" Brian asked deciding it was his turn.

"What?" Justin asked breathlessly.

"A hot ass and stamina to match mine," Brian replied. They both chuckled.

* * *

Emmett was nervous about his job interview. He had loved his job as an event planner but had not missed it during his Queer Guy stint. Desperately in need of a job, he decided to go back to planning parties.

The couple he was meeting with, the Blacks, were a middle aged couple that wanted to renew their wedding vows for their upcoming anniversary. Mr. Black was a millionaire, having started a potato franchise and Emmett was momentarily reminded of his dearly departed George. He missed George very much and a part of him would always love the kind old man. In a moment of weakness, Emmett imagined what his life would be like if George hadn't died: vacations around the world, expensive baubles, never having to work again. "We want it to be elegant. Tasteful," Mrs. Black said, staring intently at Emmett who had temporarily spaced out.

"Of course, Mrs. Black. With me, you have nothing to worry about," Emmett promised, hoping beyond hope that the Blacks weren't homophobic bigots. "I am an expert at these things."

Mrs. Black looked Emmett up and down carefully. "Very well, Mr..."

"Honeycutt," Emmett supplied.

"Mr. Honeycutt. You have the job. I'll contact you next week to begin the preparations," Mrs. Black said, grinning slightly.

"Thank you so much!" Emmett exclaimed, shaking her hand enthusiastically.

"It was a pleasure to meet you," Mr. Black said, showing Emmett to the door.

On his way out, Emmett called Calvin to share the good news. " Hey honey, guess what?"

"What?" Calvin asked.

"I got the job!"

"That's great! Will you tell me what the job is now?"

"I've decided to go back to party planning. Back before I was the Channel Five Queer Guy, I was planned all kinds of fabulous parties," Emmett explained.

"I'm so proud of you," Calvin said.

"Where are you?"

"I'm on my last flight back to Hazelhurst. Once I'm through here, it's adieu Mississippi."

"Now that I have income again, we can start looking for a place of our own. I don't want to crowd Debbie."

"I can't wait to see you again," Calvin purred into the phone.

"Me neither. I love you."

"Love you, too. Listen, I have to go. The stewardess is nagging me." Calvin hung up.

"Bye," Emmett said to himself.

Emmett was so glad that Calvin was finally finished going back and forth between Pittsburgh and Hazelhurst. In the few months that they had been dating, Emmett had grown attached to Calvin in a way that he had never been attached to a man before, not even George or Ted. Being apart from him for just a few days felt like a fate worse than death. _This is what Brian and Justin feel, _Emmett thought to himself.

In all the time that Calvin had been going back to get his belongings, Emmett had never gone with him. When he had left Hazelhurst, he had vowed never to return – it was the site of too much pain. His parents were ashamed of his 'lifestyle choices' and his mother and beloved Aunt Lula were dead. What was there to go back for?

Emmett considered calling Ted to share his good news, but then he remembered that Ted and Blake were on their way to Chicago._ I wish he would've taken me to Chicago, _Emmett mused. At first, no one had liked Blake; the first time that they had met him, he'd been so tweaked out that he could barely stand. Ted took him home and they did drugs together, which led to Ted slipping into a coma. As Ted's best friend, it had been Emmett's job to dislike Blake, but now that he was clean and after all that he had done to help Ted recover from his addiction, Emmett had grown to like him.

Deciding to go home, Emmett let his mind wander. He thought of how silly he'd been – overreacting about Calvin falling asleep during a blow job. _If I was that bad at it, he definitely would've said something months ago._ Laughing to himself, Emmett allowed his thoughts to shift to other things. With Brian and Justin tying the knot soon, who would be next? Surely, Emmett had thought that he would be married long before Brian Kinney, but that was the effect that Justin had on all of them – Debbie didn't call him Sunshine for nothing. While the others had thought of Justin as nothing more than an annoying castoff of Brian's, Emmett had always had a special fondness for him and a deep respect; it took a lot of guts for Justin to pursue Brian the way that he had and even more courage to overcome the tribulations he had faced after his bashing.

Emmett had been so lost in thought that he almost walked past Deb's house. Debbie was still working and Carl was stuck in bed, so he basically had the house to himself. Quickly, Emmett changed into something more comfortable and went into the kitchen to make some popcorn, after which he sat down on the couch, turning the TV on. Flipping through the channels, he settled on _Gone With the Wind; _one of his favorites. Emmett was so enthralled by the movie that he forgot just how much he missed Calvin.

* * *

Brian was home alone. Justin had gone to meet up with his mother; they were discussing the wedding no doubt. Luckily, Brian had a joint saved for such an occasion. He had just lit up the joint when someone knocked on the door. "Come in," he said, not wanting to get up off the floor.

Debbie walked in. "Sorry, no macaroni and tuna casserole this time. I did bring some lemon bars from the diner, though." Debbie held out a take-out box from the diner. Brian laughed. Deb came to sit next to him and when he handed the joint to her, inhaled greedily. "I talked to Sunshine today about this weekend," she said, exhaling.

"And?" Brian asked, taking a hit off the joint.

"He said you guys don't have plans. So I figured I'd take him out and we'd go shopping or something."

"How gay," Brian muttered. "Don't bother. We have plans."

"But, he said..."

"He doesn't know about the plans," Brian explained.

"What are you going to do?" Deb asked.

"I booked us a week in Paris. I already took the time off, I just have to get us both packed and figure out how I'm going to finagle getting him in the car."

"Oh, Brian!" Deb gushed. "That is so romantic!"

"Don't remind me," Brian said sarcastically.

"This is strong weed," Deb commented.

"The best," Brian agreed. The pot was already clouding his mind. "Too bad I couldn't just drug him and throw him in the car."

Debbie burst out laughing. "Could you imagine!" she gasped between breaths.

Brian chuckled, too. "Why is that so funny?" he asked.

"I don't know. Picturing you dragging him around incapacitated..." She couldn't finish the sentence.

They opened the box, took out the lemon bars, and ate them slowly. "These are fucking good." Brian's muddled mind tried to devise a way to make his plan work. If he told Justin the truth, it wouldn't be a surprise. "Maybe I can tell him we're going to an art show," he suggested.

"Whatever you decide to do will work. He loves you, Brian. As long as you show him that you care, he'll be happy," Debbie said, putting her hand on Brian's shoulder.

"Don't you have an invalid to take care of?" Brian asked.

"He's driving me bug shit right now," Deb confessed. "He doesn't want to be stuck in bed."

"Then let him out of the house."

"I can't! He just had a stroke in case you forgot. The doctor recommended bed rest for a week or so and by God, Carl is going to listen!"

"Yes ma'am." Brian saluted.

"Don't be a smart ass. I'm just doing what's best for him. I lost Vic, almost lost Michael when those assholes blew up Babylon, I won't lose Carl." Deb's eyes began to tear up.

"You won't lose him, Deb," Brian assured her. "Someone like Carl isn't going to be stopped by a minor stroke."

"I know you're right, I just can't _bear_ to think of anything happening to him." The tears rolled down her cheeks.

Brian was always lost in situations like these; he never knew what to say or do to be comforting. At a loss, he rubbed Deb's shoulder. Deb took this as an invitation and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing against his chest. Brian held her, speechless.

After a while, Deb stopped crying and composed herself. "That is the last time I smoke weed," she insisted, smiling.

"Tell me about it," Brian commented dryly. The door opened and in walked Justin. "Sunshine," Brian announced.

"Hey, guys," Justin said, noticing Deb's tear streaked face. "Deb, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Sunshine," Deb insisted.

"Were you two smoking pot?" Justin asked, sniffing the air.

"Yes," Brian admitted, offering what little remained of the joint to Justin, who took it.

"Wow, this is strong," Justin commented after inhaling.

"I'd better get going home, Carl's probably starving," Deb rose.

"Bye," Brian said, moving from the floor to the sofa.

"Bye, Deb," Justin replied.

When Debbie was gone, Justin went and sat down next to Brian. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"She was upset about Carl."

"Is he okay?" Justin asked.

"He's still on bed rest. Deb's afraid she'll lose him."

"People have survived worse things than strokes," Justin pointed out.

"That's what I told her. Anyway, enough about that. How was your visit with Mother Taylor?"

"Fine. She wasn't nearly as pissed as I thought she'd be. Tucker must be getting the job done."

"Do you really want to think about that?" Brian asked.

"No. Anyway, they're all coming."

"That's good."

"She wants to take me out to eat Saturday night."

"What did you tell her?" Brian tried to mask the curiosity in his voice.

"I told her I'd think about it." Brian smiled to himself. "What?" Justin asked.

"Nothing."

"You've been acting so strange lately," Justin accused.

"Have I?" Brian asked innocently.

"Yes, you have and it's driving me crazy. Whatever it is Brian, just tell me."

"It's nothing," Brian insisted. "Really."

"Fine. Whatever. You better not have some surprise," Justin warned.

"Would I do something like that?" Brian asked.

"I hope not," Justin lied.

"Then I won't." Brian crossed his fingers behind his back.

"Good." Justin smiled. "My mom is excited for the wedding. She's so happy that you're going to be her son–in–law."

"And to think that she hated me once upon a time," Brian replied.

"I remember. It was 'This Brian' everything, I was convinced that she actually thought your name was 'This Brian,'" Justin laughed.

"Thankfully, she came around," Brian said, wrapping his arms around Justin.

"Did you talk to your mother?" Justin asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"No, I'm not inviting that homophobic cunt," Brian replied. "This is supposed to be a day of joy, remember?"

"I'd better take my dad's name off the guest list, too, then," Justin teased.

"Maybe he'll ram my car again so I can bleed all over you during the ceremony."

"I fucking hate him," Justin said coldly.

"Fuck him. Unlike your father, I'll always be here for you," Brian whispered into Justin's ear.

"Forever," Justin replied. "You know, I think I'll tell my mom no about dinner."

"Why?" Brian asked.

"I'd rather spend my time with you." They kissed. "If you'll have me."

"I'll have you," Brian assured him, scattering the contents of the table and laying Justin down on top of it.

* * *

**Next Time On Qu**_**e**_**er As Folk: **Brian and Justin leave for their trip to Paris. Debbie has dinner at Michael and Ben's house. At Babylon, Emmett has another run-in with Drew. Will he be able to resist Drew's advances?


	8. Mistake

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Upset about running into his father, Justin went to Brian for comfort.

Emmett went for a job interview with the Blacks and got the job planning their anniversary party.

Debbie showed up at the loft and got high with Brian, confessing that she was afraid that she was going to lose Carl.

Brian tried to figure out how he was going to get Justin to the airport without ruining the surprise.

* * *

Chapter Seven

In the morning, Justin went to cancel his plans with his mother and Deb. As soon as he was out the door, Brian began to pack for their trip. First, he packed for himself because it was easier, he knew what he needed to bring for himself; Justin on the other hand would be slightly difficult. Luckily for Brian, Justin didn't have that many clothes.

The whole process did not take as long as Brian had predicted it would. Their flight was not until later in the evening, which left Brian plenty of time to get his other affairs in order. He made sure that all the bills were paid, that his meetings had been rescheduled for the following week, and that his mail had been stopped for the week.

Brian carried the luggage down and put it in the trunk of his Corvette –Justin was sure not to go in there. With a few hours to spare, Brian called Michael. "Mikey. I need to ask you a favor," he said when Michael picked up.

"Of course. What is it?" Michael asked.

"I'm taking Justin to Paris."

"Awww." Brian rolled his eyes. "What do you need me to do?"

"I'm going to drive us to the airport. I need you to pick up my car and keep it safe while I'm gone."

"What time's your flight?"

"Seven," Brian replied. "I'll leave the keys in the glove compartment."

"Actually, I'll just meet you there."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye." Michael hung up.

With that all taken care of, Brian decided to take a quick nap to help combat the jet lag.

While he slept, he dreamt. _It was their wedding day. They were surrounded by their friends and loved ones, well Justin's loved ones. Brian and Justin stood up by the minister and Gus stood nearby holding Lindsay's hand. Brian looked over and saw utter happiness etched on Justin's face and knew that it was etched on his own as well. _

_The minister went through her part and then asked for the rings. Tentatively, Gus stepped up and handed her the rings. Brian tousled Gus's hair as he walked by. "Good job, Sonny Boy," he whispered. The minister gave Brian and Justin their rings. Now came the good stuff. Brian slipped the ring he held onto Justin's finger and Justin did likewise. They were both grinning._

"_By the power vested in me by the state of Pennsylvania, I now pronounce you married. You may kiss," the minister said, holding out her hands to Brian and Justin. Laughing, they kissed passionately and were awarded with joyous applause. _

Brian didn't want the dream to ever end. He felt happier than he'd ever felt in his entire life; his future with Justin would be a happy one. He couldn't wait for that fantastic day.

By the time Brian awoke, it was late afternoon. He'd insisted that Justin not come back until six, so that left him with a half hour until they had to leave. Brian recalled his dream and smiled. He loved Justin more than anything in the world, with the exception of Gus, and wanted to spend the rest of his life with him, of that he was sure.

Brian turned the TV on and idly flipped through the channels. _You pay a fortune for cable and there's never anything on, _he thought to himself. Finally, he settled on reruns of _Gay As Blazes._ Although Brian thought the show was idiotic, it was the only thing on that even remotely appealed to him. He let his mind wander instead of trying to follow the complex plot of the drama, though he did on occasion check the time.

Right on schedule, Justin came through the door. "Hey," he said. "Are you watching _Gay As Blazes_?"

"No wonder they canceled it," Brian confirmed. "The writing sucks and half the actors aren't even gay in real life."_ Here goes_, he thought. "How about we go for a drive?"

"Where to?" Justin asked.

"It's a secret," Brian replied, pulling a blind fold out of his jeans pocket.

After securing the blind fold onto Justin's head, Brian led him down to the car. A few minutes later, Justin asked, "You aren't taking me to Meat Hook again, are you?"

Brian laughed incredulously. "No. Why? Do you want to go to Meat Hook?"

"I'd prefer not to. So where are we going?"

"It's a surprise Sunshine, just relax. You'll love it," Brian promised. Justin sighed.

When they were almost at the airport, Brian called Michael to let him know they'd arrived. "Who was that?" Justin asked when Brian hung up.

"Nobody," Brian lied.

"Brian, come on!" Justin begged.

"You only have a little longer to wait," Brian promised. "Just trust me, you'll be creaming your jeans."

"Eww," Justin commented. "Brian, that is so eighties."

"I know. I was a teenager in eighties, remember?"

"I was a baby. Wow. I feel old."

"Shut up," Brian said, smacking Justin's face playfully. "Oh, there he is."

Michael had arrived right on time. Brian got out the car and went around to help Justin out. "Can I take the blind fold off now?" Justin asked.

"Not yet!" Brian insisted, grinning at Michael.

"Have fun, you two!" Michael said.

"Michael? You're going to get it, partner," Justin promised.

"We'll see if you still feel that way after," Michael replied.

Brian took Justin's arm and led him into the airport. Once in line, he removed the blind fold. "Are we at the airport?" Justin asked.

"Yes."

"Where are we going?" Brian handed Justin his ticket. He read the details. "Paris! Are you serious?" Justin's jaw dropped.

"Do you like it?" Brian asked.

"Like it? I _love_ it!" Justin threw his arms around Brian and kissed him. "I love you!"

"Wait till you get my bill." Brian waggled his eyebrows.

"I'm up for the challenge." Justin grinned.

They boarded the plane fairly quickly and after a slight delay, they were on their way. Both were accustomed to flying and therefore had no problem with motion sickness.

The in-flight movie was some blockbuster hit that had a forgettable title. The male star was undeniably gorgeous and neither Brian nor Justin could contain themselves. Justin subtly reached over and began to stroke the bulge in Brian's pants.

"I need to go the bathroom," Brian said, winking. He got up and went into the bathroom. A minute or so later, Justin got up and followed him. When Brian saw Justin through the crack of the door, he yanked him into the bathroom after him. Although airplane bathrooms were not Brian's favorite place to have sex – the limited space was a bitch – he couldn't wait until they landed in France.

The sign on the door flicked to OCCUPIED in a flash.

* * *

As soon as Brian and Justin had gone into the airport, Michael drove off in Brian's car. He was honored that Brian trusted him with his precious car, but figured that after having been lent it once to get Hunter out of Pittsburgh, Brian was comfortable with Michael driving it.

Debbie followed Michael home in her car. "I'm so excited for them!" she exclaimed, following Michael into the house. Hunter was sitting on the living room sofa playing his Game Boy – too enthralled in his game to notice that they were home. "Hey!" Deb yelled.

Hunter immediately looked up. "Hey, Grandma. Michael," he said, smiling guiltily.

"Hey, Hunter. How was school?" Michael asked, hanging up his jacket.

"It was all right. Same old same old," Hunter assured him.

"I vaguely remember," Michael replied.

Debbie and Michael went into the kitchen. Because they'd both been busy lately, Deb had insisted that they get together for a family dinner night. After dinner, she would bring leftovers home for Carl, who thankfully would be able to get out of bed in another day or so.

After much debate, they had decided on lasagna for dinner. Michael had not had Deb's homemade lasagna in forever even though it had been one of his favorites growing up. Ben had a late class, but had promised to be home in time for dinner, at the risk of being smacked by Debbie.

Before going to the airport, Michael had stopped at the store to buy the necessary ingredients for the lasagna. His mouth was watering just thinking about it; he'd been sure to skip breakfast and lunch so that he would have room for Deb's giant servings. _That way she won't smack me_, Michael thought, chuckling to himself. Debbie heard the chuckle and turned to look at him, eyes accusatory. "What's so funny?" she asked, pulling out a pan to boil the lasagna noodles in.

"It's nothing, Ma," Michael insisted.

"Don't lie to me. I'm your mother," Deb reminded him.

"I just laughed. Does it have to mean something?"

"As long as you weren't laughing at me."

"I wasn't laughing at you," Michael assured her, rolling his eyes.

The time passed amiably as they worked together to prepare dinner. Hunter set the table without having to be asked – what a polite young man he'd become – and Ben had called to say that he was on his way. "Where the hell do you keep your candles?" Deb asked, rifling through a drawer.

"In the cupboard next to the fridge," Michael replied from the dining room. "Did you find them?" he asked when he got no response.

"Yeah," Deb finally said. She sounded upset.

"What's wrong, Ma?" Michael asked, coming into the kitchen. Deb held a picture in her hand.

"This picture," she whispered, tears in her eyes. Michael knew what picture it was. It was the one of Deb, Uncle Vic, and himself. It had been taken right before Uncle Vic had moved in with his boyfriend Rodney. "I forgot about this," Deb managed, the tears falling in earnest now.

"Hey." Michael wrapped his arms around her protectively, resting his chin on top of her head. "It's okay. I miss him, too."

"I'm sorry," Deb said, dabbing at the tears with a tissue. "I just wasn't expecting it." She still felt bad about that fight she and Vic had had right before he died; Michael figured she always would.

"He loved you," Michael insisted. "And he knew you loved him, Ma."

"I've been such a goddamn mess lately," Deb confessed.

"Yeah. I heard," Michael muttered.

"Poor Brian. He didn't know what to do."

Hunter walked into the kitchen and noticed that Deb was crying. "Is...everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes, sweetie. I'm fine. I just got some pepper in my eye," Deb lied, chuckling.

"Okay..." Hunter grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and left.

"Is everything really okay?" Michael asked, concern etched on his face.

"It's just this stuff with Carl. I'm a little emotional right now is all." Deb checked on the noodles – they were almost done.

The rest of the meal was prepared in silence. Michael had absolutely no idea what to say to his mother and Deb felt like a fool for being so emotional. Then again, she figured, if you can't show your real self to your family, who could you show it to? She preoccupied her mind by thinking about the great time that Brian and Justin were going to have in France. _Maybe one day, I'll get the see the City of Lights, _Deb thought with a small grin.

Ben got home just in time. The lasagna had been cooling for about five minutes and the garlic bread was fresh out of the oven. "It smells delicious," Ben said, kissing Michael.

"You'd better say that!" Deb threatened, back to her old self "Michael used to love my lasagna. Every year his birthday would roll around and he'd say 'Momma, momma, can we have lasagna for my birthday?' I never could refuse him his lasagna." Debbie laughed at the memory.

"Why do you always insist on embarrassing me?" Michael asked jokingly.

"What! It's true, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Michael gave in.

They sat down and ate. Dinner was full of conversation – ranging from Ben's new lectures, the newest issue of _Rage_, the monotony of high school, and the goings on at the Liberty Diner. Before the meal was over, the whole family was laughing so hard that their sides hurt – something they had not done for awhile. "Are you sure I can't help with the dishes?" Deb asked for the thousandth time.

"Ma, it's fine. You did the cooking; well, most of it. I will clean up," Michael insisted, handing her the saran wrapped plate of leftovers for Carl, and her coat.

"I'll help, too, Grandma," Hunter said, nodding his head enthusiastically.

"All right. I'm leaving." Deb gave everyone a quick hug and kiss and was gone.

When Michael saw her car pull out of the driveway, he closed the front door. "She'll be back the same time next week," he reminded Ben, who was moving the dinner plates into the kitchen.

"I think it's a great idea," Ben replied. "Just think, once Jenny Rebecca is older and comes to stay with us, these family dinners will be something that she can always look back on."

"I guess you're right." Michael hadn't thought of it that way. "I can't wait for JR to come spend some time with us." He grinned at the thought.

"Neither can I," Ben replied, wrapping an arm around Michael and affectionately nibbling his earlobe.

"Gross," Hunter whispered, making sure to stay in the kitchen.

Together, they got the dishes done in no time. Hunter went off the bed and Michael and Ben quietly made love – in their room this time.

* * *

Emmett was confused. When he had gotten to Babylon, he had expected to see Brian and Justin at the very least, but none of his friends had shown up. Deciding to stay, Emmett got a drink and went up the stairs to second floor catwalk. He felt a bit like a voyeur watching all of the men grooving on the dance floor, but figured that looking was better than touching.

Soon, he was lost in the music, not even concentrating on the men. He missed Calvin, but consoled himself with the fact that he would be back the next day.

Emmett was startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He emitted a squeak, and jumped. When he turned to see who had startled him, he rolled his eyes. "What do you want?" he asked coldly.

"Can we talk?" Drew asked.

"We already are," Emmett responded.

"Somewhere a little less..." he was lost for words. "Loud?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Emmett said seriously. "Not after what happened."

"That's what I want to talk to you about. Please?" Emmett looked Drew in the eyes and saw the desperation etched within.

"Fine. Five minutes."

They went into the bathrooms where the pulsating thumpa thumpa was less prominent. "Well?" Emmett asked, hands crossed over his chest. His guilt was making him bitchy.

"I'm sorry about that night. I don't know what got into me."

"You don't know what got into you! How about a little too much alcohol, Drew!" Emmett dropped his arms to his sides.

"I deserve that. You have to know that I never meant to upset you."

Emmett laughed. "You never upset me? Then why did you kiss me?"

"I... I don't know. I wasn't thinking clearly. Please, Emmett you have to believe me," Drew insisted, tears of guilt rolling down his cheeks.

Emmett's anger dissipated. As much as he wanted to hate Drew, he just couldn't. "Let's just forget about, okay? No lasting harm, no foul."

"I want you back," Drew whispered. "I love you, Emmett. I'm sorry that it took me so long to realize it."

"Drew..." Emmett began. He had hoped that Drew's drunken proposal had been just that, and that he would forget all about it.

"Say you'll take me back!" Drew reached into the pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out the small black box. "Open it."

Emmett hesitantly reached for the box. _No! _He opened it and there inside was the ring – a simple gold band.

"Marry me." It wasn't a question, but not quite a demand.

"Drew, I..." Emmett began.

"You need time, that's cool."

"No, Drew. I told you no last time. Why can't you accept that?"

"Because I love you damn it!"

"I told you, I'm dating someone. His name is Calvin and I love him. I'm happy," Emmett confessed, unable to look Drew in the eyes.

"Emmett, I..."

"Don't apologize, please. Just go." Before Drew could utter another syllable, Emmett walked out of the bathroom.

In no mood to stay, Emmett made his way to the exit. Once on the street, he began walking towards Deb's car. Just as he was about to get in, Drew's hand gripped his arm. "Please, Emmett," he begged. Suddenly Emmett's anger vanished and lust set in. He leaned in and kissed Drew. The kiss began slow and tentative but quickly became fast and passionate.

"Get in," Emmett panted. "Where are you staying?"

"I have an apartment."

As soon as the car pulled up outside of Drew's apartment, Emmett and Drew were kissing once more. Drew managed to fish the key out of his pocket and unlock the door. They stumbled in and Drew flicked on the light. They threw their coats on the sofa near the door and made their way to the bedroom.

Afterwards, Emmett lay awake, staring at the ceiling. _What have I done_? he asked himself over and over. _I love Calvin, not Drew. _Drew rolled over in his sleep and put his arms around Emmett. Feeling terribly guilty, Emmett sobbed quietly. Never in a million years would he ever see himself cheating on a boyfriend, but it had happened.

Rolling over onto his side, Emmett considered slipping out while Drew was still asleep. In the end, he voted against it; they had to talk and it would be easier to do it in the morning rather than have Drew hunting him down and making a scene. _What am I going to do? _Emmett wondered. _Poor Calvin! My God, how could I do this to him_?

Emmett crawled out of the bed and went out to the main room; he needed some time alone and the sound of Drew softly snoring was making him nervous. _I'm going to get through this_, he insisted. _You'll just have to tell Drew the truth: it was an accident, it shouldn't have happened. You're flattered, but you' re with Calvin now and that is worth everything. Shit! _

Extremely nervous, Emmett paced, unsure of what else to do. He was too guilty to sleep and even though he felt anxious, he was exhausted. He considered calling Ted, but a glance at the clock confirmed that it was too late, and did he really want to let his friends know what he had done? _Michael. I'll tell Michael_, Emmett decided. _Tomorrow at breakfast, I'll tell him_.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin sightsee in Paris and Brian finds a nice way to celebrate Justin's return.


	9. Hot Queers In the City

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin left for their vacation in Paris.

Michael and Ben had Debbie over for dinner.

Emmett ran into Drew again at Babylon and went home with him. Afterward, he realized what a big mistake he'd made.

* * *

Chapter Eight

When their plane finally landed in France, both Brian and Justin were exhausted, and not just from their activities on the plane. Luckily, Brian had hired a cab in advance, so they didn't have to wait for an available taxi. On the way to the hotel, Justin rested his head on Brian's shoulder and fell asleep. Brian smiled down at Justin's sleeping form and tenderly kissed him. The cab driver happened to be looking in the rearview mirror and caught it. "_Êtes vous marié_?" he asked.

Brian scrambled to remember the tiny bit of French he'd learned in high school. "_Je ne parle pas bien français_," he managed. _I should've studied some French before I bought the tickets_, he chided himself.

"Are you married?" the driver asked in English.

"Not yet," Brian replied with a faint smile.

"My husband and I have been married for ten years; we are very happy."

"We've been together about five years now." _Wow!_

"_C'est magnifique! Formidable_!"

"Yes it is," Brian agreed.

The cab pulled up outside of their hotel the Plaza Athenée. "Justin," Brian whispered, "we're here, " He kissed Justin's nose.

"Where are we?" Justin asked, still not fully awake.

"Our hotel."

"Thank God, for a second there, I thought it was a dream." Justin opened the door of the taxi and stumbled out.

"Let me help," Brian said, grabbing Justin's arm. The bellhops wheeled a cart over to the cab and loaded their luggage onto it.

Brian quickly checked in at the front desk and then they were led first to the elevator and then to their room by an employee. The bellhop delivered the luggage and left with a generous tip from Brian. Justin was asleep again. Sighing, Brian took Justin's shoes off and pulled the blankets over him before removing his own shoes and climbing into the bed next to Justin.

He was exhausted, and relieved to finally be able to sleep. He put his arms around Justin and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Some time later, he awoke. Justin was awake too; he was looking at Brian and smiling. "Good morning," Justin whispered.

"Good morning. What time is it?" Brian asked. They had arrived fairly early, but who knew how long they had been asleep?

"It's a little after six," Justin said, turning to see the radio clock on his bedside stand.

They stayed in bed for a little while longer; the jet lag had set in and neither one wanted to get up. Instead, they cuddled, something Brian was new at, but found wasn't so bad –- with Justin.

After awhile, they got up and ordered some food. Brian realized that he hadn't eaten in over a day and was starving. Together, they devoured a plate of eggs and bacon with toast and orange juice. "Don't tell Debbie, but that was delicious," Justin said.

"You have my word. Do you think I'd want her smacking me?" Brian replied. They both laughed. "So, where do you want to go today?" he asked, grabbing some clothes out of his suitcase.

"Seriously?" Justin asked. "We're going sight seeing?"

"Did you think that I took you to Paris for your birthday just to spend the whole trip in our hotel room?"

"No," Justin admitted, smiling.

"I'm going to take a shower. Think about where you want to go. Unless, you'd care to join me."

"Both," Justin replied, following Brian into the bathroom.

The water was hot and steamy, just the way they liked it. Brian had come prepared and after groping for a while, they made love. "Happy birthday," Brian whispered into Justin's ear.

"What?" Justin laughed. "My birthday was back in March…"

"I know, but we weren't together for your last birthday and I wanted to make it up to you. To give you a birthday you'll never forget. And also to celebrate that you came back and agreed to marry me. Again."

"Brian, I can't thank you enough," Justin replied, guilt setting in. His leaving for New York must have hurt Brian even more than he'd imagined.

"Forget about it," Brian insisted.

"I love you, Brian."

"I love you, too." They kissed passionately, holding each other tightly.

Once out of the shower and dried off, Justin made up his mind. "I think we should go to the Louvre," he suggested, "I'm dying to see the_ Mona Lisa_."

"Your wish is my command," Brian replied, pulling on his leather jacket.

They left the hotel and hailed a cab. "Where to?" the driver asked in heavily accented English.

"The Louvre, please," Justin replied, grinning. He spent most of the ride staring out the window at the beauty of the city. Never in a million years had he ever thought that he'd get to actually see Paris, and there was no one he'd rather see it with than Brian. "Wow!" Justin gasped when the cab pulled up outside of the Louvre. "Thank you," he said to the driver as he got out.

Brian and Justin walked into the Louvre and immediately Justin felt right at home amongst all of the art. "Shit. If I'd known that we were going to Paris, I would've brought a camera," Justin muttered to himself.

"I came prepared," Brian replied, pulling his expensive digital camera out of his pocket.

"You spoil me," Justin gushed.

"Is that bad?" Brian responded, winking.

Justin took pictures of every piece of art that caught his eye. "This is like heaven!" he said to Brian.

"That's the point."

"There's the _Winged Victory of Samothrace_. It's one of Lindsay's favorites." Justin took a couple different pictures of the sculpture.

"What the hell is that?" Brian jokingly asked, pointing at a sculpture of a seated man in a white kilt.

"That's the _Seated Scribe_," Justin explained, snapping a few pictures.

"It looks like the_ Seated Scribe _needs to hit the gym," Brian replied, sarcastically. "He's got bigger tits than Debbie."

"Don't make fun of the art!" Justin said with mock severity. " You know, I wish I could have an exhibit here someday."

"You will," Brian assured him. "Even if I have to pay for it."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Only for you," Brian confessed. They kissed. It was funny that in Paris, no one looked at them in disgust like they did back home. "What do you want to see next?" he asked.

"How about Madame du Pompadour's Sèvres vase collection?" Justin suggested.

"Why not?"

Justin was like a little kid in a candy shop, and while Brian would have lost his patience with any one else, the happiness that radiated from Justin affected him as well – he couldn't keep from smiling as Justin enthusiastically led him from one room to another. "Oh look! _Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss_! If I'm ever filthy rich, I want to buy every piece of art here! Better yet, I'll just by the whole museum!"

_Not even I can buy that for you_, Brian thought solemnly. "Why don't we take a picture of the two of us?" Brian suggested.

"I thought you'd never ask," Justin replied, going to stand next to Brian. They were near the _Venus de Milo _sculpture. Justin took the picture and then decided to take another. "Let's do something silly."

"You take a tit and I'll take a tit," Brian said, grabbing one of the sculpture's clay breasts into his hand. Justin laughed and grabbed the other breast. "That'll be a great one to send to the dykes – show them what they're missing out on."

After viewing all thirty-five thousand works of art, Brian and Justin left. "You get to pick this time," Justin said, climbing into the cab after Brian. "We can save the shopping for tomorrow."

"How about Versailles?" Brian suggested. It was one of the only things that he could think of.

"Let's do it!"

The Palace of Versailles was humongous and packed. "Wow. Can you imagine what if must've been like to be Marie Antoinette and live here?" Justin asked incredulously.

"Lucky bitch," Brian muttered. They were led inside with the rest of tourists and shown through all of the rooms – Justin taking as many pictures as he possibly could, but not before having to switch memory cards – and then the gardens, the tennis court, Marie Antoinette's Petit Trianon and Hameau de la Reine. _At least I won't have to worry about getting enough exercise during this vacation, _Brian thought when his legs began to get sore from all of the excessive walking.

By the time they left, it was getting dark. On the way back to the hotel, they passed the Eiffel Tower, brilliantly illuminated – even Brian couldn't help but exclaim.

When at last they got back to their hotel room, both Brian and Justin collapsed onto the bed. "I'm going to order us some dinner," Brian said, picking up the phone. Luckily, the food didn't take long. As they ate in bed, they talked about the other things they wanted to do before leaving.

"I'd like to see the Bastille," Justin said.

"The Champs- Élysées, Place de la Concorde, and the Arc de Triomphe," Brian continued. "The Eiffel Tower – close up."

"The Moulin Rouge."

"The Sacré Coeur Basilica."

"Faubourg Saint-Honoré

"Notre Dame."

"Avenue de l'Opéra."

"You want to go see an opera?" Justin asked, astounded.

"Not particularly," Brian admitted. "But I do want to see Palais Garnier."

"Why?"

"You've never read _the Phantom of the Opera_?" Brian asked.

"No, but I have the soundtrack somewhere."

"You would," Brian said, affectionately tousling Justin's hair.

Before Justin could respond, his cell phone rang. He'd had it off all day - it was probably his mother calling him to check in. _What time is it back in Pittsburgh_? he wondered, answering his phone.

"Hey Sunshine!" It wasn't his mother. It was Deb. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Deb."

"So, how's Paris?" Debbie sounded like she could barely contain her excitement.

"It's amazing. Brian and I went and saw the Louvre today."

"How was it?"

"Everything I dreamt of and more. I wish you could see it, too."

"Maybe one day when you're rich and famous we'll all visit."

"You should've seen Versailles, and the Eiffel Tower at night."

"You're making me jealous!" Deb joked.

"How are things back home?"

"Everything's fine. Carl can finally get out of bed - thank God. I saw Emmett and Michael this morning."

"How are they?" Justin asked as Brian began to tenderly kiss the back of his neck and rub the growing bulge in his pants.

"They're great. Though, Emmett did seem a little upset about something this morning. He's probably coming down with a cold."

"Yeah," Justin said, breathing heavily.

"Are you okay, Sunshine?"

"I'm fine!" Justin insisted. "Really, go on."

"There's not really much else to say. We're all here living our mundane lives. We miss you, but hell, it's Paris! When you guys get back we'll have a little party for you."

"That's great," Justin responded. Brian's hand was in Justin's pants by now and the pleasure was mind numbing. "Listen, Deb. I'd better let you go for now, my battery's low. I'll call you in a few days, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Sunshine."

"Bye," He hung up.

"What did she want?" Brian asked, moving his hand faster.

"She wanted to see how I'm liking Paris," Justin managed.

"Me, too. But I'm going to do it in a way she can't." Brian's hand moved faster still, until with a gasp from Justin, his task was completed.

He gently pushed Justin down on the bed and began to undress him. Once that was done, Brian took Justin into his mouth. Justin moaned and Brian employed techniques that he had learned and perfected over the years. "Oh God!" Justin exclaimed. He gripped the bed sheets tightly in his fists, his knuckles turning white. After a few more minutes, he came.

"That was amazing," Justin gasped, stroking Brian's hair.

"What can I say? I'm good at these things," Brian replied, removing his clothes. "Now it's time to collect my winnings."

"Already?" Justin asked, whining playfully.

"Well, the winnings for today," Brian amended, smiling.

"Oh, I see," Justin replied. He began to rub Brian's chest, his hands working their way down.

"How's that?"

"Good, but I have a better idea." Brian kissed Justin, running his hands through Justin's hair. He rolled Justin over on his back.

Brian entered Justin and let the wave of pleasure wash over him and he could tell that Justin was doing the same. He began to move his hips slowly, his hands first tugging on Justin's hair and then squeezing his ass cheeks. The pleasure rose as Brian quickened his pace, sweat breaking out on his brow and back.

Justin groaned and grabbed the hair at the nape of Brian's neck. They were both breathing heavily by now and their climaxes were near.

With one final thrust, the job was done. Brian lay down and Justin rested his head on Brian's chest, licking his nipples. _Oh, that reminds me_, Justin thought, casually reaching into the bedside stand where he had stashed some goodies. He pulled out his old nipple ring and showed it to Brian.

"We'll have to work that into our fun tomorrow night," Brian said, winking.

"I can't believe that I'm only twenty-two and I'm worn already. I feel so old."

"Shut up," Brian replied.

"Seriously."

"Then you must think I'm ancient."

"No."

"Twenty-two isn't that old."

"I know. It's just, so much has happened over the last five years, sometimes I feel like I'm older than I actually am."

"I suppose," Brian admitted. Justin certainly had been through a lot.

"When I think back on when we first met, I understand why you played hard to get."

"You weren't _that_ bad."

"Don't lie."

"Okay, so you were a little..."

"Annoying?" Justin suggested.

"Naive," Brian insisted.

"That's putting it mildly."

"But that had nothing to do with why I treated you the way I did. It was all me. I'd never cared about someone like I cared about you and for me that was scary. I always felt that loving someone enough to let them in was the one of the dumbest things you could do. You can't get hurt if you don't let someone in. Also, my childhood was a huge factor, my fucking father..."

"You don't have to explain, Brian. I got over that a long time ago. What matters is that we're together now."

"I know that. But when I think back on the times that I hurt you..."

"I've done my fair share of that as well," Justin reminded him.

"It was my fault though. If I'd just told you how I felt, you wouldn't have chosen Ethan over me, you wouldn't have moved out because we wanted different things."

"Maybe, but you know what? I'm glad that those things happened. What is love worth without a little pain?" Justin asked.

"What are you, a sadist?" Brian joked.

"Only with you," Justin replied, smiling.

They kissed and turned out the light. Getting under the blankets, they shifted positions, both laying on their sides – Justin with Brian's arms wrapped around him, keeping him warm. "I'm so tired," Justin said, yawning.

"How do you think I feel? That fucking museum was huge," Brian replied.

"Just think about tomorrow; we're going to hit as many landmarks as we can."

"I'll still have enough energy to fuck your brains out when we get back."

"You'd better."

Before either one could say anything else, they were asleep.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Emmett has to face the consequences of his encounter with Drew. It was supposed to be just a one night stand, but it has somehow become a regular thing. He confesses to Debbie and wonders whether or not he should tell Calvin.


	10. Confession

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin celebrated Justin's twenty-second birthday in Paris and Brian bore his soul.

After another chance meeting at Babylon, Emmett slept with Drew.

* * *

Chapter Nine

Emmett had promised himself that he would tell Michael at breakfast, but he hadn't been able to do it. Instead, he'd decided to stay quiet to avoid blurting it out, which made Michael suspicious.

After breakfast, Emmett's cell phone had rung and he'd known who it was before answering it. "I told you, I can't see you again."

"Come on, Emmett. We need to talk."

"I have nothing further to say to you," Emmett insisted, hanging up.

Emmett's walk home was a miserable one. He felt guiltier than he'd ever felt before in his life and he had no idea what he was going to do. If he told Calvin, would Calvin leave him? That thought was unbearable. _Why did I do it_! Emmett asked himself, lost.

When he'd gotten home, he'd intended to relax because it his last day of unemployment, but his plans were ruined when he spotted Drew sitting on the porch. Sighing, he continued walking towards the house. "Why are you here?" he demanded, losing his patience.

"Come on. This morning you just gave me this bullshit story about how last night was a mistake and how we couldn't do it again. I know you better than that Emmett."

"Obviously you don't." Emmett unlocked the front door. Before he could in and shut the door, however, Drew forced his way in. "Don't make me call the cops," Emmett threatened, reaching for his cell phone.

Drew grabbed Emmett and kissed him, rendering Emmett powerless. They continued to kiss as they made their way up the stairs to Emmett's room. _Fuck it, _Emmett thought, surrendering. Without shutting the door, they began to rip their clothes off, lust having taken complete control.

Just as they were getting started, Emmett's cell phone went off. He snatched it up off of the floor and gasped when he saw who it was – CALVIN. "What? Who is it?" Drew asked, entering him.

"Drew, stop. It's Calvin." _Fuck!_

"The boyfriend?" Drew asked sardonically.

"Shut up!" Emmett picked up the phone. "Hey!" he said with fake cheer. His heart was pounding.

"Hey, Em!" Calvin replied.

"Where are you?" Emmett asked, hoping that the guilt in his voice was hidden.

"I'm still in Hazelhurst I just wanted to let you know that my flight is in an hour and I'll be in your arms before you know it."

"I can't wait!" Emmett replied. Another pang of guilt hit Emmett.

"I'll see you soon."

"Bye." Emmett hung up. "You have to leave," he told Drew.

"At least let me finish!" Drew begged, moving his hips. Emmett sighed, but figured that the quickest way to get Drew out of the house was to give him what he wanted. Drew pumped away, but Emmett did not enjoy the experience; he was racked with guilt and he was dreading having to confess to Calvin what he'd done.

At long last, Drew finished and collapsed on top of Emmett, all sweaty and out of breath. Emmett allowed him to lay there for a few minutes before he got up. "You have to go now," he said, handing Drew his clothes.

"Come on, Emmett!"

"No. Leave."

"Fine." Drew put his clothes on and left. Emmett locked the front door behind Drew and collapsed on the couch in tears. He started to panic._ I need something to calm my nerves_, he thought as he went back upstairs and grabbed his bottle of Xanax. Racing back to the kitchen, he got a glass of water and downed a pill. Now, for something to occupy his time. Emmett spotted brownie mix in the cupboards and settled on that.

Emmett enjoyed cooking. It calmed his nerves and distracted him from whatever was bothering him at the time. He was so preoccupied making the brownies, that he didn't hear Deb come in. "What the hell are you doing!" she demanded, a look of horror on her face.

"Making brownies," he responded lamely, looking at the mangled brownies that had just come from the oven.

"Emmett, honey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Why would you think that something is wrong?" _Please just let it go, Deb._

"Well, for one thing, you're cooking, and secondly, you look like someone just sewed up your asshole."

"How very perceptive of you, Deb," Emmett relented, chuckling a little despite his aching heart.

"So what is?"

"If I tell you, it has to stay between us, okay?"

"I swear on Vic's grave," Deb insisted.

"Okay. Well, you remember Drew, right?"

"Of course. What about him?"

"I ran into him last week at Babylon and he was drunk out of his mind. He came on to me and we fell. Somehow, we ended up kissing. Thankfully, Brian was there to save me."

"Brian saved you?" Deb asked incredulously.

"Yeah. There's more. Last night, I ran into him again. He apologized and said that he wanted me back. I, of course, told him that I'm in a relationship, and happy, but he followed me out to the car and...I don't know what I was thinking, but we went back to his place and had sex."

"Oh my fucking God!" Debbie exclaimed.

"I know. I feel...I don't even know. There aren't words to describe what I feel like."

"It's all right Em, honey, it was just a slip. As long as it doesn't happen again." Emmett gave Debbie a look. "Jesus Christ! It happened again!"

"About an hour ago," Emmett confessed, unable to meet Deb's eyes. "Calvin's coming home tonight and I don't know what to do. Should I tell him?"

"That's up to you, sweetheart. If you do, you'd better be prepared; he might not want to see you again," Deb said.

"I can't lose him!" Emmett insisted, shaking his head. "I love him." His heart started to race again.

"I know you do."

"Then why did I do this?" Emmett demanded, breaking into tears.

"These things happen. It'll all work out in the end, I promise."

Carl came into the room. He was surprised to see Emmett in tears. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

"I ruined the brownies," Emmett lied, wiping his tears away. "Silly me... thinking that I could play Martha Stewart without paying attention and actually succeed."

"Calvin won't mind," Deb said, winking at Emmett. "Are you hungry?" she asked Carl.

"No, I'm fine."

"How are your kids?" she asked, leading him out of the kitchen nonchalantly. After the stroke, he'd gone to see his kids.

Emmett sighed, and began to run dish water. He scooped the crappy brownies into the trash and threw the glass dish into the dish pan, letting it soak. Looking at the clock, Emmett's heart began to beat even faster – Calvin would be home soon!

He quickly washed the dishes, dried them, and put them away. Walking out into the living room, he began to pace. The minutes passed slowly and dread began to set in; should he tell Calvin? No. Debbie was right, he didn't want to risk losing him, better not to say anything.

Calvin's car pulled up to the house. "Shit!" Emmett hurriedly ran up the stairs and jumped into bed, pulling the covers over his head. He heard the front door open and close.

"Emmett?" Calvin called.

"I'm up here," Emmett replied, mentally smacking himself.

Calvin rushed up the steps and entered their bedroom. Throwing his bags down, he jumped onto the bed. kissing Emmett. For a brief moment, Emmett forgot the guilt that racked him. Getting up to close the door, Emmett slipped out of his clothes and went to lie next to Calvin on the bed.

* * *

Over at the Novotny-Bruckner household, Michael, Ben, and Hunter were eating dinner. "They went to Paris?" Ben asked, surprised.

"Holy fuck!" Hunter exclaimed. At the reproachful looks from Michael and Ben he muttered,

"Sorry."

"That's what I thought when Brian told me," Michael admitted.

"Is that their honeymoon?" Ben asked, still in shock.

"No, it's Justin's birthday present."

"I thought Justin and I had the same birthday?" Ben frowned. "Brian's about two months late…"

"Don't ask me." Michael shrugged.

"That's a pretty expensive birthday present," Hunter said.

"Brian can afford it, trust me," Michael replied. "Which reminds me, I'd better call Justin and let him know that the new issue of _Rage _is a go." He got up from the table and grabbed his cell phone. It rang a couple of times and then went to voice mail. _They're probably fucking like rabbits_, Michael thought, shaking his head. "Hey Justin, it's Michael. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday from all of us. We hope you guys are having fun in Paris, I know I certainly did. Be sure to take lots of pictures for us. Oh, and don't wear Brian out, okay? Bye." He hung up and chuckled.

Ben and Hunter had finished and moved their plates to the kitchen. "I'm going to go study for an English test tomorrow," Hunter said, heading to his room.

"He certainly has changed since we first met him, hasn't he?" Michael remarked, sitting down to finish eating.

"Yes, he has," Ben answered, sitting down next to him. "Thankfully."

"Definitely." His thoughts shifted to breakfast that morning. "Did Emmett seem weird to you at breakfast this morning?"

"Not really. Why?" Ben asked.

"I don't know, he just seemed a little...off. Like something was bothering him."

"It's probably nothing."

"Ben, Emmett and I lived together for five years, trust me, I know when something's up."

"If you've an already made up your mind about it, why did you ask my opinion?"

"I just wanted to know if it was just me or not. Maybe I should call him."

"Wait. Michael. I still think you're jumping to conclusions here. If there were something wrong, he'd tell you, right? Besides Ted, you are his best friend."

"I guess you're right. He knows that he could tell me anything and I wouldn't judge him."

"That's one of the things I love most about you," Ben confessed, nibbling on Michael's ear. "You are always so kind and loving."

"Not always. I have my moments."

"Like when?"

"Well, when Brian and Justin first started...fucking, I absolutely hated Justin. I was jealous that Brian would pick some stranger over me."

"I see," Ben said, smiling. "That's all in the past Michael. The Michael I know isn't like that."

"It's because of you." Michael smiled.

"What?"

"You're...you know, so calm and peaceful all the time. Remember, the first year we were going out and you wanted to go stay in Tibet to study with the monks? You have brought peace and love into my life. And Hunter and all of our friends' lives."

"Why are you so sappy?" Ben asked jokingly.

"I don't know. I feel a chocolate hankering coming on."

"You know, you're not the first person to say that about me," Ben admitted.

"Duh."

"Brian once called me Zen Ben."

"I remember him mentioning that."

"I guess that's how I've handled being positive so well for all these years."

Michael frowned at the reminder of Ben's illness. "Maybe," he whispered. He had finished his food and carried his plate and glass to the kitchen, with Ben in tow.

"I'll do the dishes," Ben offered, rubbing Michael's shoulders.

"No, you put in a long day, I'll do the cleaning." Ben's hands worked out a kink in Michael's muscles. "Did anyone ever tell you that you should've been a chiropractor?"

"I thought about it, actually, but teaching has always been my main passion."

"I dated a chiropractor once," Michael admitted.

"You did?" _Oops, I probably shouldn't have mentioned that._

"Yeah, we broke up a few months before I met you. His name was David. We had some good times, but things didn't work out. Actually, we were both going to move to Oregon, but the night I was supposed to leave, Justin got bashed and I realized I couldn't do it. Brian called me and when I saw him in the hallway, Justin's blood all over him – crying – I just knew that I couldn't leave Pittsburgh. I went to tell him, but he convinced me to give it a try. We started to fight, and after that, we broke up. Thankfully, I met you." He kissed Ben.

"Mmmm lucky me," Ben murmured. "So, Brian cried that night?" He could not picture Brian crying over anything.

"That's pretty much the only time I've ever seen him cry. He didn't even cry at his dad's funeral. I can't blame him though, his dad was a jackass. Anyway, Brian was an absolute mess that night. He blamed himself for what happened to Justin, and deep down, though he wouldn't admit it at the time, he was in love and seeing Justin hurt killed him inside." Michael shivered at the memory.

"It must've been terrible for him."

"It was. I'm just glad that things worked out for them. Justin was pretty screwed up afterwards His right hand was damaged as you remember, but thankfully with time, it basically worked itself out."

"I'd actually forgotten about that. He's definitely a trooper."

"Enough about them. What do you say about you, me, a gallon of ice cream, and movie?"

"Sounds good. What movie?"

"You pick. I'm going to hurry up and do the dishes while you decide."

"Or I could help you with the dishes while I decide."

"Go," Michael ordered. Once Ben was gone, he started washing up. The dishes didn't take long, thanks to the dishwasher that Deb had bought them last Christmas.

Heading into the living room, Michael spotted Ben seated on the couch. "What did you decide on?" he asked, setting the carton of ice cream down.

"How about _Pearl Harbor_?" Ben suggested.

"I love that movie! Mmm Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett, it's gotta be the best movie ever made."

"That's why I picked it," Ben confessed, putting his arm around Michael, who handed him a spoon.

They cuddled as they watched the movie. At one point, they got cold, so Michael went and grabbed a blanket off of their bed, stopping to peak in on Hunter – _out like a light _– before heading back down. Together, they managed to eat the whole gallon of ice cream. "Looks like we'll both have to make an extra trip to the gym tomorrow," Ben joked.

"I will, you'll be fine. You don't have an ounce of fat on your body."

"Neither do you."

"You're more muscular than I am," Michael pointed out.

"Is that a problem?"

"No, I think it's sexy," Michael replied, kissing Ben's neck. In the movie, there was a sex scene between Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale. "We can do better than them."

"Yes, we can," Ben agreed, taking his glasses off.

"It's a good thing Hunter's asleep," Michael whispered.

"Would you like to move this upstairs?" Ben asked.

"Fuck it. It's nothing he hasn't seen and done before." Michael pulled his shirt over his head and threw it on the ground.

"You are so hot when you do that," Ben growled, unbuttoning his pants.

"You look hot when you do that," Michael countered, pulling Ben's pants down around his ankles.

Slipping a condom onto Ben, Michael took him into his mouth eagerly. Ben moaned quietly, closing his eyes in ecstasy. Michael was good at his job, and Ben was grateful to be on the receiving end.

When Ben climaxed, Michael lay down on the sofa next to him and pulled his pants off. Putting on a new condom, Ben set to work.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin have some more fun in Paris.


	11. Exploring the City

**Previously On Queer As Folk**: Brian and Justin left Pittsburgh for a getaway in Paris to celebrate Justin's birthday. Brian confessed to Justin that the reason he was so weird about relationships was because of his tumultous childhood and the abuse he suffered.

* * *

Chapter Ten

Justin awoke by himself. Getting up, he found a note on the bedside stand.

_Justin,_

_Went to go get cigarettes, back soon._

_Love,_

_Brian._

He set the note aside and smiled. _Love, Brian_. It still got to him sometimes. It had taken him five years to finally tell Justin that he loved him, but now that he head, Brian was constantly saying it. Glancing at the clock, Justin decided to take a shower so that he'd be ready to go sightseeing when Brian got back.

The hot water woke him up and he quickly brushed his teeth and got ready. When he got out of the bathroom, Brian was sitting on the bed, hands in his lap. "Good morning, Sunshine," he said, pulling Justin down on the bed and kissing him tenderly. "I was starting to think you were going to sleep all day."

"You wore me out last night," Justin admitted, kissing Brian's neck. His hands started to work their way down to Brian's belt.

"There'll be none of that, Sonny Boy," Brian pulled back from Justin. "We've got a big day ahead of us."

"Okay. I'm ready to go when you are, just let me check my messages real quick." He turned his cell phone on. "Wow, I have three messages, that's new."

"You just got home from New York," Brian reminded him.

"Michael, my mother, and Daphne," Justin said as each message played. "And you?" He heard Brian's voice.

"Happy birthday, Sunshine. I wanted to tell you that even though I haven't always shown it in the past, I love you. You've given me so much these past four years and I wouldn't take back even a second of the time we've had together, not for anything in the world. In case I haven't said it enough, I'll say it again: I love you and I can't wait to marry you. I'm so glad you came back to me."

Justin was silent for a minute. There were tears in his eyes. _How could I have let this go? I'm so stupid! I don't deserve him._ Quickly wiping the tears away, he turned back to Brian. "Brian, why did you leave me a voice mail? You were with me all day yesterday."

"I wanted to." Brian shrugged his shoulders. Justin leaned in to kiss Brian, but he grabbed Justin's arm, "It's time to go, Justin."

They left the hotel and tried to decide where to go first. "It's your turn to pick," Justin insisted.

"I don't really care. It's your birthday present. You decide."

"Fine...Montmartre."

"Montmartre it is." They'd decided to walk as much as possible to avoid spending a small fortune in cab fair, but since it was a considerable distance from their hotel, they got a cab.

Brian payed the driver when they got to Montmartre. "Let's go find the Moulin Rouge," he said, walking off with Justin in tow. Luckily, Montmartre was a small city and the streets were easily navigable. After a few minutes, they came upon it.

"It looks different that it does in the movie," Justin commented.

"Of course it does," Brian replied. "Don't tell me you expect to see an elephant in the courtyard, too."

"No." Justin laughed.

"You know, I could see you living here; if you'd been alive in the late 1800's or early 1900's," Brian admitted.

"Me, too. I could be the starving artist and you could be my rich lover." Brian laughed.

"You mean I wouldn't be the whore?"

"No you'd be the kind, rich man who saves the starving artist and gives him a reason to go on living each and every day." Brian leaned in and gave Justin a peck on the cheek.

There were no performances – the cabaret did not officially open until evening, but Brian bribed their way in so that they could see the inside, though they couldn't stay long. "We'll have to come back one night before we leave," Justin said.

"I think we will," Brian agreed. "Where to now?" he asked after they had looked at everything they were able to.

"Well, I think it makes the most sense to go by location: the majority of the places we want to see are in the eight arrondissement. The Opera house is in the ninth arrondissement, which is close, so let's go there."

"Ted would be in heaven," Brian muttered.

It didn't take too long for them to get to the Avenue de l'Opéra, and by the time they reached the Opera Garnier Justin had taken used up another memory card. Brian handed him a new one – he'd brought five – and they went in. "This is so beautiful!" Justin exclaimed, taking pictures of the ornately decorated Grand Foyer and Grand Staircase.

"Be careful," Brian whispered into Justin's ear.

"Why?"

"The Phantom of the Opera could get you." He couldn't hold back a laugh.

"Shut up, Brian. That is not possible. Even if he did exist, that was over 100 years ago."

"Too bad we couldn't go down and see the underground lake and cellars. That's something I'd like to see."

"I think I'd pass anyway." Justin shivered a little.

"Wuss."

"I am not!" Justin smacked Brian's arm.

"All right, you're not a wuss. I'm going to go outside for a cigarette, you stay in here and I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay." Justin continued to take pictures. Brian snuck off and pulled out the little noose that he'd put in his coat pocket to scare Justin. He waited out of sight until he was sure that Justin was distracted and then he silently walked up behind him and threw the noose over Justin's neck.

"Sing my angel!" Brian growled, before bursting out into laughter.

"Brian!" Justin exclaimed, hand over his racing heart. "You are such an asshole!" He swatted Brian on the arm. "I can't believe you!" Despite his anger, he couldn't keep a straight face once he saw Brian's smile. "I'm going to get you back for that."

"Just try it, Sunshine," Brian challenged him.

"It's on," Justin promised.

They stopped and got lunch at a restaurant before catching a train to the Bastille in the eleventh arrondissement. "There's the July column," Justin pointed. "And the Opéra Bastille."

"I'd rather see the actual Bastille fortress, but I'm about a hundred years too late."

"Oh, baby. If only we could go back in time just for you."

"_Rage_ could do it," Brian jokingly grumbled.

After taking more pictures – of the attractions and of himself and Brian –- Justin led Brian off to their next destination, the Notre Dame cathedral. "I've wanted to see the real Notre Dame ever since I watched _The Hunchback of Notre Dame _as a kid," Justin confessed.

"Let me guess, you wanted Quasimodo to save you from the evil Claude Frollo so that you could marry Captain Phoebus, right?" Brian asked sarcastically.

"No. I just always knew I was different, I always could relate to poor Quasimodo."

"You're definitely sexier." Brian smacked Justin's ass.

"You're not so bad yourself. You know an awful lot about French literature. I never pegged you for the reading type."

"I read occasionally when I have nothing better to do."

"You mean when there's nobody around to fuck?" That earned Justin a smack on the arm.

Justin took more pictures of the exterior before they went in. "Look at the _Grandes Orgues_!" he exclaimed.

"The what?"

"Big Organs."

"I'll show you a big organ." Brian smiled devilishly, putting Justin's hand between his legs.

"Later," Justin said, smiling back. "We're in a cathedral, have some couth!"

"I never knew you studied French."

"A little, in high school. It was that or Spanish."

"Me, too." They ascended to the second floor and from there, up to the bell tower.

"I _have_ to have a picture of you Quasimodo style," Justin insisted.

"Fuck, no." Brian scoffed.

"Please?" Justin begged, jutting out his lower lip and making it quiver.

"All right." Brian rolled his eyes, sighed, and went to stand next to one of the bells. He took the rope that dangled from Emmanuel, the bourdon bell, and scrunched his face up in Quasimodo fashion.

"That's great!" Justin enthused, taking several pictures.

"Okay, we're done with that," Brian said, walking back over to Justin.

"Let's go see the apse and then we can move on." The task thankfully didn't take long and they slowly made their way back down to the street.

"What's next on the agenda?" Brian asked when they had hailed a cab.

"The Eiffel Tower."

"Thank God there are elevators."

"Are you tired already?"

"I still have enough energy to whoop your ass," Brian promised him.

"Good, that's what I like to hear."

The ride was a little longer that the others, but Justin made the trip worthwhile for Brian; making sure that the driver's eyes were on the road, he crouched down and sucked Brian off. He felt that it was the least he could after all that Brian was doing for him. "That was great," Brian said quietly, "but don't think that that gets you out of my plans for tonight."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Justin replied, resting his head against Brian's chest. The driver caught Brian's eye in the rearview mirror and winked at him. What was it with all the cab drivers?

The Eiffel Tower was packed with tourists, though not as packed as Versailles had been; thankfully. Brian and Justin quickly shared a cigarette before going in. Getting into the lift, they began their ascent to the second level After perusing the second level, they decided on the restaurant _Jules Verne _for dinner, before continuing to the third level. "Wow, this is high up," Justin said, when they had reached the top.

"You aren't afraid of heights, are you?" Brian asked.

"Not really. I just didn't expect it to be _this_ high up."

"Me either," Brian admitted, patting Justin on the back.

"You can see everything from up here!"

"Look, there's Babylon," Brian joked.

On the way down, they stopped on the second level and ate at the _Jules Verne._ "This food is amazing," Justin commented, enjoying his foie gras. "You have to try some." He held out his fork to Brian.

"How can you eat that?" Brian asked, trying not to look at the food.

"It's good!" Justin insisted.

"It's duck liver."

"So?"

"Nothing. If you like it, whatever. Just don't try to kiss me until you've used an entire bottle of mouth wash."

"You're so sweet. How's your roasted lemon rosemary chicken?"

"It's delicious. Would you like some dear?" Brian asked snidely.

"Why, yes I would, honey," Justin replied. Brian gave him a little and Justin smiled. "This is good, too. I love the food in this country!"

They finished their meals and crossed the Seine into the eight arrondissement – their last stop. "Where do you want to go first, the Champ-Élysées, Place de la Concorde, or the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré?" Justin asked.

"I say the Champs- Élysées. We can save the Faubourg Saint-Honoré for tomorrow." The Rue de Faubourg Saint-Honoré was the largest shopping area in the city, one of the most fashionable in the world; Brian was dying to go, but knew that Justin would be bored.

"That's right, everything we want to see is in the same arrondissement as our hotel, I forgot about that."

"Come on," Brian said, pulling Justin behind him.

The Champs- Élysées was enormous. The avenue was lined on both sides by every kind of shop imaginable, including Prada, though Brian resisted the temptation to go in. As they continued walking along, they passed the Grand Palais and decided to check it out. The interior was breathtaking, and Justin once again used up another memory card, though Brian was a little more enthusiastic about taking pictures. While he'd never admit it, he wanted a memento of their happy trip together.

Continuing down the Champs-Élysées for what felt like an eternity, they reached the Place de la Concorde. _Thank God_, Brian thought. Justin took several pictures of the Obelisk of Luxor and the Fountain of River Commerce and Navigation; even insisting that Brian pose for some of them. "Why do you want pictures of me doing all this stuff?" Brian asked. "Wouldn't you rather have me take pictures of you, or a picture of the both of us?"

"Okay, just one more of you by the fountain and then we'll take some of both of us," Justin promised. He snapped a few more pictures of Brian sitting next to the fountain.

Thankfully, another tourist was nearby taking photos and didn't mind taking some group pictures of Brian and Justin. "Don't you like this so much better?" Brian asked between pictures.

"You know what? I think I do," Justin admitted, kissing Brian's cheek.

"I think I know of a place you'll enjoy," the tourist said, handing them back their camera.

"Really?" Justin asked.

"Yeah, it's a club called le Queen, you'll love it!"

"Thanks."

"Could you be any more cliché?" Brian muttered. "Calling a gay nightclub 'the Queen."

"Okay, so it's a little...cliché, but don't you think it sounds fun?"

"I suppose. How about we go our last night?"

"It's a date." Justin grinned. "There's just one more place on our agenda for today, the Arc de Triomphe." Brian groaned as Justin pulled him on to their next destination.

* * *

At long last, they got back to the hotel. Brian lay down on the bed, exhausted. His legs were killing them and oddly, he was starving. _It's too late to eat anything else tonight,_ he reminded himself. Justin lay down next to him and got under the blankets. "Don't tell me you're going to sleep!" Justin teased.

"I'm not. I'm going to take a quick nap before I fuck your brains out," Brian assured him, taking his shoes off, followed by his socks and pants.

"That's what I wanted to hear," Justin said huskily, putting his arms around Brian. A few minutes later, they were both fast asleep.

They slept for a few hours and awoke sometime after the sun had gone down. Brian was the first to wake up, but he didn't get out of bed, not wanting to wake Justin. Instead, he just lay there, with Justin in his arms, thinking. In about a week and a half, they would be married. Brian, never really one to get too excited about anything, was actually looking forward to the wedding, mainly because it meant that he and Justin would be together and Justin would be happy, thus making him happy. _Now let's just hope that my hatred of my parents will be enough to keep me from making the same mistakes that they did. _The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Justin and lose him forever. The thought of living the rest of his life without his precious Sunshine caused his throat to constrict.

After awhile, Justin stirred. "Hey," he managed, yawning. Even though he hadn't been as tired as Brian, he'd needed the nap.

"Hey." Brian smiled down at Justin and kissed his forehead. "You're up."

"What time is it?" Justin asked, sitting up.

"After ten. We slept a little longer than planned, but oh well. It doesn't matter."

"Can we stay here forever?" Justin jokingly asked.

"I wish we could."

"I could paint and have my pieces in the Louvre." He closed his eyes and smiled. "That's my dream: the have at least one piece of my art in the Louvre where it can be adored and admired by hundreds of thousands of people forever.

"You know if I could buy it for you I would."

"Yeah." Justin kissed the bottom of Brian's chin. "This has been the best birthday ever." He laughed. "Even if it is two months late."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it."

"It's going to suck going back home after this."

"Maybe one day we'll come back. For our anniversary or something."

"I'll be right back." Justin got out of bed and went into the bathroom. "Hold that thought."

Brian checked his phone to see whether or not he had any voice mails; there was one from Lindsay saying that Gus was feeling better and that she hoped that he and Justin were having fun in Paris. Rolling his eyes, he hung up the phone.

Justin came out the bathroom wearing absolutely nothing. "I have a present for you," he said, holding his arms out. Brian noticed that Justin had put his nipple ring back in. "Do you like it?" he asked, laughing. The reason he had gotten the piercing in the first place was to entice Brian, who had loved it, though he never would have admitted it at the time.

"I love it," Brian replied, grabbing Justin and throwing him down on the bed. "And now I'm going to show you just how much."

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Emmett has to make a choice between his two great loves: Calvin and Drew. Calvin has a surprise of his own that makes matters even worse for Emmett.


	12. Heartbreak

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **While Calvin was back home in Hazelhurst, Emmett began having an affair with his ex Drew Boyd. Drew asked Emmett to marry him, but Emmett turned him down. He confessed to Debbie about the affair, and begged her for advice. Debbie suggested that he not tell Calvin about the affair, it would only cause trouble. Despite his feelings for Calvin, Emmett continued the affair with Drew.

* * *

Chapter Eleven

With Calvin's return, things got worse for Emmett. Whenever Calvin would kiss him or make love to him, Emmett's guilt drove him crazy. Despite Deb's advice, Emmett and Drew hooked up on a regular basis when Emmett was not working. The football season was done, but Drew would soon be busy with conditioning, which filled Emmett with mixed emotions; he loved Drew – not in the same way that he loved Calvin, of course – but he couldn't help thinking that with him otherwise occupied, he could put the whole thing behind him.

Drew rolled off of Emmett, completely out of breath. "That was amazing," he gasped.

"Why, thank you," Emmett replied, smiling. Their relationship had improved immensely over the past week. "I do have expertise in these matters."

"That you do," Drew continued. "Look, Emmett, my offer still stands." Emmett's heart skipped a beat.

"Drew, we've been over this..." he began, sitting up. "I'm with Calvin; I'm happy."

"Then why are you sneaking around behind his back fucking me?"

"I..." Emmett couldn't explain it. He'd asked himself the same question a million times.

"It's okay, I can wait. You'll come around eventually." Drew got up and went into the bathroom.

Emmett lay in bed, his mind racing. _This has to stop. You love Calvin and you're going to be with him_. "Drew?"

"Yeah?" Drew called from the shower.

"We need to talk. Now."

"Give me a sec." The shower turned off and a minute later, Drew stood in the doorway, a towel wrapped around his waist. "What is it?" While Drew had finished up in the bathroom, Emmett had gotten dressed.

"It's over between us. I don't know why this happened; I don't love you. I love my boyfriend and I choose him...over you." Emmett couldn't meet Drew's eyes. He felt himself blush.

"You keep on telling yourself that, Emmett. Maybe one day you'll believe it."

"Don't call me again. Stay away from Babylon and stay away from me. Goodbye." Emmett gave Drew one last look before he walked out of the apartment.

Shutting the door behind him, he took a deep breath to steady himself. His eyes teared up and he felt as though his heart had been broken. "Emmett?" a familiar voice asked. Emmett turned to see Michael and Ben. _Shit_.

"Hey guys," he said, trying to cover up his heartache.

"Oh, my God, Emmett. Are you okay?" Michael asked, coming to stand beside him. Emmett couldn't fight it anymore, the tears came down and he threw his arms around Michael, sobbing into his chest.

"I fucked up, Michael," Emmett cried, though the sound was muffled.

Michael and Ben coaxed Emmett into going to the Liberty Diner – he hadn't eaten all day and he was getting a headache from low blood sugar. Sitting down in a booth, Michael took Emmett's hand and stroked it reassuringly. "How did you fuck up, Em?" he asked.

"I cheated on Calvin," Emmett managed through his tears.

"With who?" Michael asked, shocked. Emmett had never seemed the time to cheat on a boyfriend, let alone with an ex.

"Drew." Emmett couldn't even meet Michael's eyes. The shame was too much.

"Drew!"

"Yeah."

"Oh, Em. Did you tell Calvin?"

"No, and I don't think that I'm going to. He'd leave me."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do. There's no possible way he could still love me after what I've done to him."

"Emmett, come on. Look at Brian and Justin. They've managed to work it out and look at how long Justin waited for Brian to commit to him."

"That's different. Brian never promised Justin commitment."

Deb came by to take their orders and surveyed the scene. "Emmett, honey, did you tell him?" she asked, sitting next to him and rubbing his shoulder.

"You knew?" Michael exclaimed. How could Emmett tell Debbie before him?

"Yeah. You got a problem with that?" Deb challenged him. Michael shook his head.

"No," Emmett muttered.

"Then what happened?"

"I didn't take your advice and I've been meeting Drew for the past couple of days between jobs. He started pressuring me to marry him again."

"Wait! He asked you to marry him! Deb asked. "You didn't tell me that. What a fucking catastrophe."

"Ma, you're not helping," Michael chided her. "What happened?"

"We were together and he was on the marriage subject again. I told him that I had no intention of marrying him – I love Calvin. So, I broke it off. I told him never to call me again and to stay away from me."

"It's for the best," Debbie said consolingly. "This way, you can work things out with Calvin."

"Ma! He has to tell him."

"What! Why the fuck would he do that?"

"He can't lie!"

"Do you want him to end up sad and alone?"

"May I offer my opinion?" Ben piped up, hoping to smooth things over before Michael and Deb killed each other.

"Go ahead, Ben," Emmett sniffled.

"You love Calvin and want to be with him, right?"

"Yes."

"You're afraid that if you tell him the truth he'll leave you."

"Yes."

"I believe that honesty is the best policy..." Deb opened her mouth to speak, but Ben held up a finger, "but in this particular situation, it's tricky. You have to decide what you want to do."

"If I tell him, he'll leave me; if I don't tell him, the guilt will kill me. I just wish that this had never happened."

No one said anything for a long time; contemplating. Deb went to go take a few orders and came back when she was done. "Emmett, listen to your heart. What does it tell you?"

"It tells me that...I'm a cold, heartless prick who deserves to be sad and alone."

"Don't say that," Debbie chastised.

"I have to tell him." Emmett concluded. "No matter the consequences, I have to tell him."

"Good for you, honey," Deb encouraged.

"When are you going to do it?" Michael asked.

"Tonight."

But Calvin had plans. Emmett received a voice mail from Calvin; he wanted to take Emmett out to dinner; they had something important to talk about. _Don't I know it_, Emmett thought dejectedly. He went home and freshened up before dinner, taking a Xanax to calm his nerves.

He met Calvin at the restaurant and they sat down at a quiet intimate table in the corner. "This is great!" Emmett said, smiling.

"I thought you'd like it," Calvin admitted, running a hand through his hair.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Emmett asked.

"After dinner," Calvin promised, handing Emmett a menu. _Phew_, Emmett thought. "So, how was work today?" Calvin asked.

"Uh, it was good, you know. The Blacks are pretty demanding but I can keep up with them. Even though Mrs. Black is a frigid bitch, we still get along, us girls," he joked.

"That's one of the things I love most about you," Calvin said. "You can get along with anyone."

"Well, not anyone. As you may recall, in high school, all of the jocks hated me; they teased me and called me 'faggot' and 'queer.' "

"All of the jocks except me."

"Yeah. There was that one time in gym class where I was cornered in the locker room by David Michaels and Brett Woods. If Mr. Grant hadn't come in, they'd have bashed me." Emmett shivered at the recollection.

Their food arrived, and Emmett made sure to eat his dinner slowly, delaying the inevitable for as long as he possibly could.

"Is there something wrong with your food?" Calvin asked, concerned.

"No. I'm just savoring it." Emmett laughed nervously.

"Are you okay?" Calvin inquired, picking up on Emmett's nervous behavior.

"I'm fine. Why? Do I seem not fine?" Emmett started to wring his hands.

"Well, you are acting a little...I don't know how to describe it." _Shit_!

The rest of the meal passed by in companionable silence. When he had finally finished his food, Emmett eyed Calvin with dread. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I was going to ask you here, but I'll wait until we get home." _Phew_.

"Ask me? Ask me what?"

"You'll see."

On the ride home, Emmett turned on the radio to avoid conversation. Despite the fact that he had taken a Xanax, he was still extremely nervous. The drive was not long and as Calvin pulled up by the house, Emmett's heart began to pound. "Let's go inside!" he exclaimed, quickly getting out of the car and heading in.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Calvin asked again, following Emmett into the house.

"Uh huh!" Emmett insisted, leading Calvin up to their room.

"Okay. Here goes," Calvin began, nervously running his hands through his hair. "I have something really important to ask you."

"Yes?" _Oh, my God, what is it_?

"Emmett Honeycutt..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. "Will you marry me?"

Emmett was speechless. _He's...proposing to me? This is going to make telling him so much harder_, he thought as tears spilled down his cheeks. "Calvin, I have something I need to tell you."

"You need more time?" He shrugged. "That's cool."

"No. I don't need more time. There's something I need to tell you before I give you my answer, and if you don't want me after I tell you, I'll understand."

"Baby, whatever it is, just tell me."

"I cheated on you," Emmett blurted, closing his eyes.

"What?" Calvin laughed. "Very funny, Em."

"I'm serious," Emmett whispered.

"Come on now."

"Calvin, I cheated on you," Emmett repeated. His body started to shake.

Calvin stared at Emmett with his mouth open. "I...I don't know what to say..."

"Say you forgive me, please! I swear, it'll never happen again. I love you!"

"No."

"No?" Emmett felt a sudden pang in his heart.

"No, it won't happen again, not with me, anyway. We're through." Calvin's voice was choked with emotion. He opened up the box and pulled out the ring within. With a sudden burst of anger, he threw it at Emmett. The ring bounced off of his chest and rolled under the bed.

"Calvin, please! Wait!" Emmett cried.

"How could you betray me like that?" Calvin demanded, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.

"I don't know," Emmett confessed, on the verge of crying himself. "It was a mistake. I…"

"Goodbye." Calvin walked out of the roocm and down the stairs. Emmett followed him, sobbing loudly.

"Calvin I love you!"

Calvin stopped at the front door. He turned and looked at Emmett. "You should've thought about that before you screwed around on me." He slammed the front door behind him.

From outside, Emmett could Calvin's car start and then tear off into the night, the tires squealing.

Emmett dropped down to his knees and sobbed. Time seemed to halt for him, but hours must have passed because Debbie and Carl walked through the door. They'd gone to see a movie and then out to eat, leaving after Emmett had gone to dinner. "Carl, go upstairs. I'll be up in awhile," Deb said, sitting down beside Emmett. "You told him, didn't you?" she asked.

"Yeah," Emmett replied. His voice sounded really husky, but he wasn't sure if it his imagination or not.

"Where is he?" Debbie already knew the answer.

"Gone. He said that we're through."

"Oh, baby," Debbie soothed, holding Emmett close to her.

"He proposed to me." This brought a fresh wave of tears to Emmett's eyes.

"Oh fuck," he heard Deb murmur.

"Yeah," he managed.

"I'm going to go make us some tea. I'll be right back," Debbie announced heading off to kitchen. Emmett stared off into space. _How did I get here_? he asked himself. Because of his stupidity, he'd lost the most important thing in his life, and there was no way to get Calvin back now. In what seemed like no time at all, Debbie was back at his side. She handed him a mug with warm tea in it. "Drink this up, honey," she said. Emmett did as he was told; he wasn't in the right frame of mind to object to anything.

"I'm tired," he realized. "I think I should go lay down."

"Good idea. You'll feel better in the morning," Deb promised.

Emmett stood, and went upstairs. Going into his bedroom, he lay on the bed with the lights turned off. Eventually, sleep took him.

* * *

But Emmett did not feel better in the morning. Michael sat alone at the diner, waiting. It was one of Deb's rare days off, so he had no idea of the events that had transpired the night before. After waiting for an hour, he decided to take action.

Thankfully, his mother only lived a few blocks away, so the trip to Deb's house was relatively short. He opened the door and walked in. "Emmett!" he called, slightly agitated.

"Shhh!" came Deb's voice from the kitchen. "Jesus Christ! Are you trying to wake the dead?" She came out the kitchen, dressed in her pajamas, bathrobe, and slippers.

"Ma, it's eleven thirty," Michael began.

"Do you think I'm too goddamn stupid to look at a clock?" Debbie retorted.

"No. Where's Emmett?"

"He's sleeping." Debbie looked upset.

"What is it, Ma?"

"I don't think he'll be coming out of his room anytime soon."

"Why? What happened?"

"He told him, Michael."

"Oh shit."

"Calvin chose to leave him. And to make matters worse, he proposed before Emmett told him."

"Oh, my God," Michael whispered. "What are we going to do?"

"There's nothing we can do, except be loving and supporting. He's taking it pretty badly, he's going to need us in these next few days."

"That bad, huh?"

"You should've seen him last night. Carl and I came home from dinner and he was just sitting there in the living room sobbing. He could barely string a sentence together."

"Poor Em."

"Yeah. I know he'll make it though. He made it through Ted's crystal meth addiction, he'll make it through this."

"I still can't believe this is happening," Michael admitted. "I mean, it's Emmett. Who would ever think that he would cheat on a boyfriend?"

"Anyone can cheat," Debbie declared, grimacing.

"Should I go up and see him?" Michael wondered.

"Not right now. I think it would be best if we gave him his privacy right now. You'd just better be here when he comes down."

"I'm not going anywhere. I can have Hunter open the shop after school."

"When is Ted coming back?" Debbie asked. If there was anyone who could get through to Emmett, it would be Ted.

"Ted's been back for a few days now, Ma."

"Then why the hell isn't he here!" Debbie shrieked.

"I've tried calling him, but his phone's off. I went to his apartment last night, but no one answered the door."

"Give me your phone," Deb ordered, holding out her hand. Michael quickly complied. She punched in Ted's number and waited for him to pick up. After ringing forever, it went to voice mail. "Ted, it's Debbie. You need to get your fucking ass over here pronto. Bye." She hung up. "How did that sound?"

"He'll be over here soon," Michael replied, laughing. Before Debbie could hand the phone back, it went off.

"Hello?"

"Deb, it's Ted. What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Ted's voice was panicked.

"Oh, how nice of you to answer your goddamn phone."

"Yeah, sorry. Blake and I needed some alone time..."

"I don't give a fuck about that right now. Emmett's in trouble. He needs you."

"What happened? Is he okay?" Ted's panic rose.

"Get over here."

"I'll be right there."

Ted kept his word. Less than fifteen minutes later, he was standing in the living room with Deb and Michael. "Okay, I'm here. Are you going to tell what's wrong with Emmett now?"

"He's in pain," Debbie replied.

"What did he do?"

"He was screwing around on Calvin with that steroid-using fuck Drew Boyd. Emmett decided to tell Calvin the truth – God bless him – but things didn't work out."

"Oh, no," Ted muttered.

"It gets worse. Right before Emmett told him, Calvin proposed to him."

"Poor Em."

"That's what I said," Michael replied.

"He's upstairs?"

"Yeah. Go on up, honey. He needs you right now, more than ever."

Ted ascended the stairs and stopped outside of Emmett's room. Taking a deep breath, he knocked lightly on the door. "Who is it?" he heard Emmett groan.

"It's me, Em, Teddy. Can I come in?" There was no reply, so he opened the door. The shades were drawn and Emmett lay in bed, a pillow over his head. "Hey."

"They told you?" Emmett's muffled voice asked.

"Yeah. I'm so sorry, Em."

"Don't be. I'm the one who fucked it up. I'm a horrible person."

"You are not a horrible person, Emmett. You are the greatest person I know!"

Emmett pulled the pillow off from his face, which was streaked with tears. "Oh, Teddy. I don't know what to do!" he sobbed. Ted went and lay down beside Emmett, wrapping his arms around him.

"Shh. It's okay. Everything will be all right. I promise. Teddy's here now."

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin's trip to Paris is over, but there's still a few surprises to come.


	13. Last Tango In Paris

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Brian and Justin continued their sightseeing in Paris. At the Opera Garnier, Brian played a joke on Justin. Justin vowed that he would pay Brian back.

* * *

Chapter Twelve

It was their last night in Paris. "I can't believe it's been a week already," Justin commented, putting on a shirt.

"Well time flies when you're having fun," Brian reminded him, tying his shoes.

"And multiple orgasms."

"Those, too." Brian chuckled. "Are you ready?"

"Yep. Let's go."

After the second grueling day of sightseeing, Brian and Justin had gone to the Faubourg Saint-Honoré district. Delighted by what he saw, Brian bought a couple designer suits for work and a new leather jacket. He'd offered to buy Justin something, but he had adamantly declined. The next couple of days were passed with more picture taking and sightseeing, though not to previous extent.

As Brian and Justin walked out of the hotel, Justin asked, "where's this place again?"

"It's on the Champs- Élysées," Brian replied. "Where on the Champs-Élysées I have no idea, but it's there."

"It shouldn't be too hard to find. It's a nightclub, people will probably be lined up around the corner."

They walked along until they found le Queen. The line to get in was fairly short, but as they got closer, Brian noticed that not all of the people in line were men; there were a lot of women in the crowd, too. "Hopefully it's not dyke night," he said to Justin.

"Dyke night's the best!" Justin joked.

"Be careful. If you start liking pussy there's going to be a problem."

"Trust me, there's no danger of that happening."

"Good, I like my men to like dick."

"I like your dick."

"Good answer." They kissed.

"_Si mignon_!" a woman cooed, laughing obnoxiously. Brian looked up at her.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"_Si mignon_," she repeated.

"In English."

"How cute," Justin translated.

"Yes, it is cute. Now will you stop fucking staring at us?"

"I'm sorry," the woman said in heavily accented English, before turning around.

"Now, where were we? Oh, yeah." They kissed again.

The line got shorter and shorter and before they knew it, they were in the club. People were dancing everywhere. The music was loud and pulsating, just the way Brian liked it. Looking around however, he saw that while there were a few men dancing together, there were a lot of mixed couples dancing together. "I thought this was gay nightclub," he said.

"It used to be. Now it is a nightclub for everyone," a man explained, passing them.

"Great. Stuck in room full of breeders."

"It won't be so bad," Justin promised. "Come on, let's dance." He led Brian to an empty spot on the dance floor and they began to dance. "See? I told you." He kissed Brian's nose.

"You win," Brian relented.

Le Queen was not entirely different from Babylon. The music was similar, the drinks were similar, even the dance floor was similar. Unfortunately, Le Queen did not have a back room, not that it mattered too much. Brian and Justin danced for a long time, lost in the beat of the music. They stopped when Justin got thirsty, and made their way to the bar. They ordered drinks and waited. "Hi," a man said, grinning appreciatively at Brian. The man next to him was staring at Justin.

"Hi," Brian replied, putting his arm around Justin possessively.

"How are you tonight?"

"Fine."

"We have a proposal for you."

"We're not interested," Justin said.

"Hear us out, please. We were wondering if you guys wanted to have a good time tonight. I'm Jean-Claude and this is my partner Billy."

"We're not interested." Brian didn't hide the venom in his voice.

"How would you like to come home with us tonight? As you can see, we'd like to switch partners for a night, it keeps the relationship... interesting, _non_?"

"I don't think so," Justin said.

"Oh, come on..."

"We said no," Brian threatened, stepping closer to Jean-Claude. He towered over the jerk.

"Fine, have it your way. It's your loss." Jean-Claude and Billy skulked off.

"Wow," Justin exclaimed. "I'd gladly take our docile Pittsburgh queers any day."

"Tell me about it," Brian scoffed.

"Those are the kind that give us all a bad name."

They grabbed their drinks and went back to the dance floor. A song that was often played at Babylon came on and they danced to it. "It's just like back home," Justin shouted to be heard over the music.

"In some ways," Brian agreed. "I think I'll stick with Pittsburgh, though."

"Yeah, me, too. There's no place like home."

They danced for a few more songs but then grew restless. "Are you ready to go?" Brian asked, yawning. He still hadn't regained all of his energy yet. Two days of sightseeing had worn him out.

"Yeah. I'm so exhausted!"

As they stepped out onto the street, they became aware of footsteps behind them, but paid little attention. "What do you want to do when we get back to the hotel?" Justin asked.

"I was thinking of a little game I made up as a child," Brian replied.

"You must've been one twisted child!" Justin exclaimed, laughing.

"Just wait until and see," Brian promised.

"Hey, _mes amis_, wait up!" a voice called.

"Are you following us now?" Brian asked, turning to face Jean-Claude.

"We told you no," Justin said forcefully.

"Then perhaps, I will have to persuade you to see things my way." Jean-Claude pulled out a switchblade knife.

"Jesus Christ!" Justin whispered, taking a few wary steps back.

"Justin, get out of here," Brian ordered, standing in front of Justin protectively.

"I'm not leaving you," Justin replied, eyes wide in fear.

"You'd better do as he says," Jean-Claude warned, waving the knife.

"Brian..."

"Go!" Brian shouted. Justin refused to move until he saw Brian's eyes pleading with him.

Clenching his jaw, Justin walked away, keeping his eyes on Brian. "What do you want?" Brian asked when he was sure that Justin was safe.

"You know what I want."

"Sex?"

"No, I changed my mind. You looked a lot hotter in there."

"Then what do you want?" Brian's irritation was evident.

"I want your money."

Brian laughed. "And what are you going to do? Stab me to death if I don't hand over my wallet? I'm twice your size, kid. Beat it."

"You're right, the knife is a little unnecessary." He pulled a gun out of his coat. "This is more like it."

Brian's heart started to pound. _Oh shit, my number's finally up_. _Even if I give him my wallet, the pussy will probably kill me anyway_. His thoughts shifted to Justin. _We were so close_, he lamented. Determined to keep his cool, Brian rolled his eyes and pulled out his wallet.

Just as Jean-Claude was about to snatch it, he pulled the trigger on the gun. Brian closed his eyes tight and waited for the pain. Instead of pain, he felt a sudden wetness on his cheek. Opening an eye, he saw Jean-Claude doubled over, laughing hysterically. Brian turned around and saw Justin standing with his arms folded across his chest, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "I told you I'd get you back."

"You little asshole!" Brian exclaimed, picking Justin up in his arms and swinging him. "I almost fucking shit myself!"

"Now you know how I felt," Justin replied, kissing Brian. "Well, more or less. This is Jean-Claude."

"I cannot believe this," Brian muttered, chuckling. "You're such a dick."

"Well, I'd better get back to Billy. You know what they say about us French as lovers. He's the hottest guy here tonight and if I want to fuck him like he's never been fucked before, I'd better not keep him waiting. See ya later, Justin." He went back into le Queen.

Brian and Justin started to walk back toward their hotel. "Just for that, I'm charging extra tonight, Sunshine."

"I can't wait."

"Where did you run into him?"

"He was at a café I went to the other day while you were shopping."

"You sure got me," Brian admitted.

"That was the point."

"Remind me to spank you later."

"Make sure it's hard. I've been very bad."

"Yes, you have." They kissed.

Back in their hotel room, Justin lay on the bed, naked and flipping through a brochure. Brian was packing up all of his belongings; their flight left fairly early in the morning. "Aha, I found them!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

"What?" Justin asked, looking up from his brochure.

"These." Brian held up a pair of handcuffs and a big black dildo.

"How did you get those through the airport?" Justin asked incredulously.

"I didn't. I bought them the other day," Brian admitted, grinning.

"Come here," Justin ordered, patting the spot on the bed next to him. Brian complied.

First, he put the handcuffs on Justin and secured him to the bed. "Are they too tight?" he asked.

"No. They're just right."

"Good." Next, Brian applied some lube to Justin and then used the dildo to penetrate him. Justin moaned with pleasure. Brian continued to move the dildo slowly, attentive to all of Justin's facial expressions. He kept moving the dildo until Justin climaxed. _Time for a little reverse psychology_, Brian thought. "Well, I am beat," he said, grabbing the key to unlock the handcuffs.

"Wait!" Justin insisted. "You can't go to bed yet."

"Why not?" Brian asked innocently.

"I haven't had my fill yet." Justin grinned mischievously.

"Well, in that case..." Brian grabbed a condom and tore the packet open with his teeth.

* * *

The alarm went off too early. Still half asleep, Brian swatted at it, turning it off. _Why the hell did I schedule our flight so early_! he thought. Grumbling, he got up and went into the bathroom to take a shower. The shower helped wake him up, though he was still a bit groggy. After shaving, he went and woke Justin up. "What time is it?" Justin mumbled, burying his face in the pillow.

"It's seven thirty. Our plane leaves in an hour. Come on, you have to get up."

"Okay, okay, I'm up," Justin grumbled, stumbling out of bed.

"Careful there, Sunshine. I don't want to have to explain to everyone how you got a concussion."

He helped Justin into the bathroom. "I saved you some hot water."

"Mmmm thanks," Justin said, kissing Brian.

"I'll be waiting."

Justin quickly took his shower and brushed his teeth. _I can't believe we're leaving_, he thought. He had had a wonderful time with Brian and he hoped to have many more. _If only I could afford to take him somewhere for his birthday_... His thoughts were interrupted by light knocks on the door. "We've gotta go," Brian said.

"Okay, I'm coming." Justin picked up his stuff and carried it out with him, putting it in his suitcase. "I'm ready."

There was a cab waiting downstairs to take them to the airport. "Next time we go somewhere on vacation, remind not to book the flight so goddamn early," Brian said.

"Next time?" Justin asked, his heart fluttered with excitement.

"What? Did you think that this was a one time thing? We're getting married in less than two weeks. Plus, you've been dying to go away with me since we met."

"Can we afford another vacation so soon?"

"If we're careful."

"Thank you for taking care of me."

"Don't you get it by now? I want to take care of you, Justin. It makes me...happy."

"Still, I have to find a job once we get home. Maybe I'll go back to school."

"I thought you were never going back to that hell hole?"

"Maybe I can swallow my pride long enough to finish."

"That better not be all you're swallowing." Brian winked. "But the spring semester's almost over…"

"I'm hoping I can audit for the rest of this semester and then they'll let me enroll for the summer semester."

"It's worth a shot."

Before long, they were at the airport waiting to board their plane. "If I'd known that we were going to be waiting here for this long, I'd have gotten some more sleep," Brian said.

"Tell me about it," Justin agreed. Luckily, they didn't have to wait much longer.

Once on the plane and secured in their seats, Brian and Justin dozed off, holding hands.

* * *

Some time later, their plane landed in Pittsburgh. Michael was waiting outside with Brian's car. "So, how was it?" he asked.

"Ask Justin," Brian said, grabbing his keys from Michael and popping the trunk.

"It was amazing! You should've been there," Justin gushed, smiling broadly.

"I hope you took pictures."

"Believe me, he took enough pictures to fill up a warehouse." Brian answered, putting their bags into the trunk. "And we won't make you sit through a boring slide show like you did to us when you and David when to Paris."

"Wait until you see the one I took of Brian at Notre Dame, you're going to die!"

"Yeah, Mikey. You're going to die!" Brian mimicked Justin sarcastically.

"Don't mind him, he's a little tired," Justin explained.

"I can see that," Michael replied, laughing.

"So, what's been going on here while we were gone?" Justin asked.

"Not too much. You know – same old, same old."

"Still, it's home," Justin said.

"Something went down while you were away..." Michael began.

"What?" Justin asked, suddenly feeling nervous.

"I don't want to sound like a gossipy queen, but you're going to find out sooner or later."

"Just tell us!" Justin insisted.

"Emmett was having an affair...with Drew Boyd."

"No way!"

"Yeah. The night he confessed it, Calvin proposed to him."

"Calvin left him didn't he?" Justin asked. His heart went out to Emmett. He was such a sweetheart.

"Yeah," Michael confirmed.

"Stupid ass. That's what he gets for telling Calvin," Brian mumbled.

"What he going to do? Keep it a secret? It was killing him!" Michael argued.

"Well, then, maybe he should have kept his pants on."

"You know, Brian, you can be a real ass sometimes."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way." Brian laughed. "Thanks for bringing the car, Mikey."

"No problem," Michael replied, sighing. "Look, he's in a pretty bad state right now. He's been doing a little bit better since Ted came back, but I think he'd like to see you guys."

"Of course," Justin said.

"I'll get around to it," Brian replied. Justin laughed.

"Brian, he's your friend, " Michael argued.

"Let me go home and unpack and I'll go see him, okay?"

"Okay"

"Bye, Mikey." Brian got in the car.

"Bye," Michael muttered.

Justin got in the car. "Poor Emmett. I just can't believe it," he said, shaking his head.

"Why is it so hard for you believe?" Brian asked incredulously.

"Because...it's Emmett. He doesn't strike me as the kind of person who would do that."

"Listen to me, Sunshine. Are you listening?" Justin nodded. "Anyone can cheat."

"I know that. Just think about how awful this must be for him; Calvin proposed to him."

And he blew it, simple as that."

"What would you do if you were in Calvin's shoes?"

"That wouldn't happen to me. You wouldn't cheat on me."

"Anyone can cheat, remember?"

"Anyone but you. Or me,"

"Okay, you got me there," Justin admitted. "I would never cheat on you now."

"Never say never."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying don't make a promise you can't without a doubt keep."

"Is that your way of saying that you cheated on me?" Justin teased.

"You know I wouldn't do that." Justin quirked an eyebrow. "Now," he amended.

"How can I be so sure?" Justin asked, kidding.

"Let's see: because I love you, and I couldn't bear to not have you in my life. The quickest way for that to happen would be for me to cheat on you."

"You've come a long way," Justin said.

"It's all thanks to you." Brian put his arm over Justin's shoulder and leaned in to kiss him. "We're getting married."

"I can't wait!

"Me either."

"Hopefully my mom doesn't cry."

"She's entitled to cry. Just as long as you don't cry, we're fine."

"I promise, I won't."

"Good." They kissed again.

When they got back to the loft, they unpacked their belongings. Michael had collected all of Brian's mail and put it on the coffee table, though it was mostly junk mail. _It's good to be home_, Brian thought with a sigh. Justin came up behind him and started rubbing his stomach.

Brian glanced at the clock: plenty of time for a quickie.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Emmett's friends come together to help him through his pain. Calvin drops by to pick up some of his things, not making it any easier for Emmett to get over him. In the Novotny-Bruckner household, Hunter is hiding something from Michael and Ben. Is it something that could tear the family apart?


	14. Hunter's News

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **After a spending a week in Paris, Brian and Justin returned home to Pittsburgh. Justin decided to go back to school.

Emmett ended his affair with Drew and Calvin proposed to him. Emmett confessed and was heartbroken when Calvin left him.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

With Ted's coaxing, Emmett had finally left his room, though he still didn't feel up to leaving the house. Deb, God bless her, made him meals and tea and attended to his every need – no matter how many times he insisted that he could do it himself.

The bad part came when he got a call from Calvin. He'd left some stuff at the house and wanted to come and get it. When he'd rung the doorbell, Emmett had answered the door cautiously, his heart pounding. "Hey," he said, aware of how devoid of life his voice sounded.

"Hey," Calvin replied, his lips twitching into an almost smile. "I just came to get my stuff."

"I put it all in a bag for you. I wasn't sure when you'd be back to get it, so..."

"Emmett? Who's at the door?" Debbie called from upstairs.

"It's me, Deb," Calvin replied.

"Oh, hey, honey." Debbie came out into the living room, though she did not come close enough to hug Calvin as she might have done under different circumstances. "What brings you here?"

"I left some clothes and things here."

"Oh. Well, I'm gonna get started on supper. It was nice to see you."

"You, too, Debbie." Calvin headed upstairs. Emmett followed him.

"Calvin, wait! We need to talk."

"Look, Emmett, I know that you feel bad about what you did and I respect that, I really do. You know how much I love you, but what you did is inexcusable, no matter the reason."

"I agree, but Calvin, come on! I love you, how am I supposed to go on...without you?" Emmett was close to tears now.

"You'll manage," Calvin assured him, avoiding eye contact.

"I won't! God, I just wish I could go back in time and redo it...none of this would be happening."

"We'll never know, will we?"

Emmett reached into his dresser and pulled out the engagement ring that Calvin had given him. "Here. This is yours." His heart broke again as Calvin accepted the ring.

"Thanks."

"Are you going back to Hazelhurst?" Emmett asked, trying to keep Calvin there as long as possible.

"Most likely. There's nothing for me here now." Emmett felt a pang in his chest.

"What about your job?"

"My company hasn't filled my vacated spot yet, they're willing to take me back." "That's...great."

"Yeah. My momma's happy that I'll be home."

"Gotta love mommas," Emmett joked.

"Mine is especially special," Calvin replied, chuckling. Their eyes met, just for a second. In that second, Emmett felt deep down in his bones that Calvin was the one. "Well, I'd better...get going."

"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Emmett blurted, wringing his hands.

"I..."

"Oh, come on. We're having a surprise dinner for Brian and Justin. Their wedding is coming up, and they don't want a rehearsal dinner. It would mean a lot to them if you stayed." Emmett smiled genuinely.

"All right, I'll stay for dinner," Calvin caved in.

"Yay!" Emmett clapped his hands enthusiastically. Come to think of it, this was the first time he'd been remotely happy in almost days – a record for him. "Deb, we're having one more for dinner!" he shouted down.

"Okay!" Debbie replied. The doorbell rang. "Shit. Emmett, could you get that?"

Emmett and Calvin went down the stairs. "I'm gonna go put this stuff in my car, I'll be back."

"Okay." Emmett opened the door and was shocked to see Brian and Justin. "What are you guys doing here?"

"It's good to see you, too, Honeycutt," Brian said sarcastically.

"We just got here an hour ago," Justin supplied. He noticed a man standing next to Emmett and assumed it was Calvin. "Hey," he said.

"Hey."

"Did you have fun in Paris?" Emmett asked.

"Tons," Justin assured him, fixing Brian with a quizzical look. Brian shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Sunshine, is that you?" Debbie trilled, coming out of the kitchen.

"Hey Deb!" Debbie wrapped both Brian and Justin in a bear hug.

"How the hell are ya!"

"We'd be better if we could breath," Brian managed.

"Sorry. I've just missed you guys."

"We were only gone a week, Deb," Brian reminded her.

"So? I'm used to seeing you practically every damn day," Debbie insisted. Brian rolled his eyes.

"How was your trip?"

"If one more person asks me that..." Brian muttered.

"It was great. Words can't even describe it. Just wait until you see the pictures!"

"I can't wait!" Deb assured him. Something beeped in the kitchen. "Oh, Sunshine, would you help me and Carl in the kitchen?"

"Sure, Deb." He smiled at Brian and followed Deb back into the kitchen.

Brian and Emmett were left alone in the living room and neither of them knew what say. After a few minutes of silence, Emmett said "so, are you glad to be back?"

"Yes and no," Brian replied. Apparently he wasn't very talkative today, then again, when was he?

"Justin sure looks like he had a good time."

"He did. What's with the chit chat, Emmett?"

"I'm just trying to make conversation."

"I have a question for you: what is Calvin doing here?"

"What do you mean?" Emmett asked, feigning ignorance.

"I heard about your...activities." _Shit_.

"Oh, this is just great. Now I'm going to get a lecture from Brian Kinney about being faithful. How ironic, seeing as it took you five years to finally tell Justin you loved him, and God knows how long before you stopped fucking other guys."

Brian laughed. "You're so cute when you're angry," he teased. _Someone's a little testy._

"Don't," Emmett threatened.

"What are you going to do? Slap me?"

"No, I'll..."

"Look, Emmett, I didn't come here to lecture you or advise you. To be honest, I could give a fuck less what you do with your life, that's your business."

Emmett was stunned for a second. "Then why did you come here?" he asked. _You don't know about the surprise dinner._

"Mikey said you needed us. In case you've forgotten, Justin and I are your friends."

"I'm sorry...about what I said before. I was out of line."

"No you weren't. Anyway, you didn't answer my question: why is Calvin here?"

Emmett filled Brian in, and finished just as Calvin walked back in the front door. "Dinner's almost ready," Emmett said, smiling.

Unexpectedly, Ted and Blake showed up, and then they were followed by Michael, Ben, and Hunter. "The whole family's here!" Deb beamed.

"What is this?" Brian asked, starting to get suspicious.

"Surprise! Since you and Sunshine aren't having a rehearsal dinner, we wanted to celebrate our own way – without your consent!"

"Thanks guys." Justin wrapped his arm around Brian. "We really appreciate it."

"Yeah." Brian forced himself to smile.

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Justin asked Emmett. "We'd understand..."

"I'll be fine. It's time for me to stop wallowing in self pity."

"Good for you, honey," Debbie said, smiling encouragingly.

They sat down to dinner in couples: Brian and Justin, Michael and Ben, Emmett and Calvin, Ted and Blake, Debbie and Carl; Hunter sat by himself in the living room; he'd been spending a lot of time alone lately. There was much conversation to be had, and a casual passerby would not suspect that any strife existed. The spark between Calvin and Emmett was as strong as ever, Michael noted, though he did not get his hopes up as Calvin had said that he couldn't stay much longer.

Much to Emmett's chagrin, dinner did not last as long as he'd hoped. He walked Calvin the door, eyes downcast. "Are you sure you can't stay for awhile longer?" he pleaded.

"No. I'd better be getting home," Calvin replied, sighing.

"Will you call me before you leave town?"

"Sure." Their eyes met again and they were both frozen in place. Calvin shook his head slightly. "Well, bye, Emmett."

"Bye." Calvin shut the door behind him and Emmett began to feel the pangs in his heart once more.

"Are you okay?" Justin asked. He'd been sitting next by Brian and Hunter on the sofa.

"Yeah. I'll be fine," Emmett assured him, hoping beyond hope that it was the truth. "I'm gonna go lie down, I'm tired."

After Emmett went upstairs, everyone convened in the living room. "Was having him over for dinner really the best thing for Emmett?" Ted asked, slightly angry.

"What could I do? Kick him out of the house?" Deb replied. "Emmett wanted him here."

"And look at the state he's in now," Michael muttered.

"Just when he was starting to do better," Debbie agreed.

"He looked so happy though, shouldn't that count for something?" Justin offered.

"Everyone looks happy to you, Sunshine. We just got back from Paris," Brian teased.

"At least before, he knew it was over. Now he has hope, albeit false hope." Carl shook his head sadly.

"I'll give it ten days, tops," Brian said. They all looked at him. "What? Don't tell me none of you noticed the way they were looking at each other during dinner."

"I didn't," Ben offered.

"There were definitely some sparks," Justin agreed.

"Thank God. We have to get those two back together, come hell or high water. I don't know how much longer I can take Emmett moping around here, it's fucking depressing!" Debbie exclaimed.

"So what's the plan?" Michael asked.

"Invite Calvin to the wedding," Justin suggested. "There's nothing like a wedding to bring two people together."

"I knew there was a reason besides the ones I can't say here that I loved you," Brian said, grinning broadly.

"Thanks, Brian." Justin laughed.

"Good thinking, Sunshine," Debbie said, smiling proudly.

"What if it doesn't work?" Ted asked.

"Don't be so negative," Blake chided him.

"I'm being realistic."

"Is that what we're calling it these days?" Brian joked. Everyone laughed.

"I just want him to be happy again."

"We all do," Deb assured him. "Now, who's up for dessert? I made a chocolate soufflé."

"I would love some Deb, but we'd probably better get going. I've got some work to do tomorrow," Justin said, rising.

"What kind of work?" Debbie asked.

"I'm thinking about going back to school."

"That's great, Sunshine! If you need a letter of recommendation or something, you know who to call."

"Thanks, Deb."

"I'd write a better one," Brian whispered into Justin's ear. "All right, we're off," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Bye guys." Justin waved. "Thanks for dinner."

"It was my pleasure," Debbie assured him. "Bye."

"Bye," everyone else said in unison.

* * *

Later that night, at home, Michael confronted Ben. "Aren't you even the slightest bit worried? He's been spending a lot of time on his own; more than usual."

"He's a teenager. Teenagers like to spend time on their own," Ben said.

"I'll give you that, but I know deep down that it's more than that."

"Okay, I tell you what, tomorrow when he gets home from school, we'll sit him down and have a discussion. How's that?"

"Thanks." Michael kissed Ben.

Just then, Hunter came down the stairs. "Hey Hunter?" Ben called. _While Hunter was up, they may as well get put Michael's worries to bed._

"Yeah?" Hunter asked, slowly coming into the room.

"Can we talk for a minute?"

"I'm not in trouble or anything, am I?"

"No. Why, is there something you did that you feel you should be in trouble for?"

"Ben! Don't pull that on him!" Michael insisted.

"You two are acting weird," Hunter said, sitting down on the couch.

"Sorry. We're just worried."

"I'm fine. Really. There's nothing to worry about," Hunter said, getting up to leave.

"If nothing is wrong, then why can you barely stand to be with us in the same room for more than two minutes?" Michael accused. Hunter stopped dead in his tracks. "Hunter, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, okay? I'm telling you the truth. There's just..."

"What?" Michael prodded.

"I'm seeing someone," Hunter confessed.

"What!" Michael exclaimed. _Thank God it's not drugs._

"I'm seeing someone," Hunter repeated.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ben asked.

"After what happened with Callie and her parents..."

"You thought we wouldn't want you to be in a relationship," Ben finished.

"Yeah."

"Hunter, that couldn't be farther from truth. We want you to be happy."

"Yeah. Tell us about her!" Michael insisted.

"Her name is Lexi. She's in the same grade as me and she is smokin' hot!"

"Is she...?" Ben began.

"Aware that I'm positive?" Hunter finished for him. "Yes."

"Good."

"Yep. It gets better: so is she."

"What!" Michael couldn't believe his ears. What were the chances of that happening?

"Hunter, that's…" Ben clapped Hunter on the shoulder.

"Great?"

"I wouldn't say that, but I'm glad that you found someone."

"Invite Lexi family over for dinner tomorrow night," Michael suggested.

"Are you sure?" Hunter asked.

"Of course! I can't wait to meet her."

"I'm so glad you guys are okay with this. I'd better get to bed. I've got school in the morning.

Goodnight, guys."

"Goodnight," Ben and Michael said in unison as Hunter jogged up the stairs.

"Wow," Michael said, unsure of what else to say.

"Thank God it isn't something serious." Ben heaved a sigh of relief. "I thought it was drugs."

"I just hope things work out better for him this time."

"The good news is that Lexi's positive. Well, it isn't _good_ news, I'd never wish that on anyone, but I'm glad that he won't have to worry about infecting her. And at least her parents won't react like Callie's did."

"I could kill them for what they did to Hunter."

"Don't worry about them. That's all in the past."

Michael decided to change the subject. "Do you think Justin's plan will work?" he asked.

"I hope so. I've never seen Emmett so crestfallen. Not even when Ted was addicted to crystal meth. At least then he left the house."

"They love each other, that should be enough."

"It'll take some work. Calvin's going to have to forgive Emmett, which won't be easy."

"I just wish none of this had happened, then we wouldn't have to see him like this."

"Like Justin said, there's nothing that can bring two people together like a wedding."

"I can't believe there's only ten days until Brian and Justin get married," Michael confessed.

"That'll be a hell of a day," Ben agreed.

Michael and Ben went upstairs to get ready for bed; Ben had an early class. "Just think, now we can go on double dates with Brian and Justin," Michael joked.

"I'm sure Brian would love that." Yeah, right.

"He might not, but Justin will, and if Justin likes it, Brian will do it." Ben laughed.

* * *

At the loft, Brian and Justin were laying bed. "Can you believe we only have ten days" until our wedding?" Justin asked.

"That many? I thought it was fewer," Brian joked.

"Joke all you want, Brian, I don't care. We're actually doing it. We're actually getting married."

"I'm exhausted," Brian muttered. "Dinner did nothing but wear me out even more."

"Me, too, but I'm restless."

"It's all that pent up excitement left over from Paris." Brian tenderly wrapped his arms around Justin and kissed the back of his neck. "I can think of a way to tire you out."

"You can? Care to share it with me, Doctor Kinney?"

"Ooh. Doctor Kinney. That's one we haven't done before."

"I hope you like it. Consider it a thank you for the wonderful week in Paris."

"All forms of payments are greatly appreciated."

"I can tell." Justin grinned mischievously.

"Show me where it hurts," Brian said.

"How about...here?" Justin pointed below his waist.

"That'll work." Brian worked his way down and took Justin into his mouth.

Justin moaned quietly and gave into pleasure. No one could give head like Brian, it was one of his many talents._ I hope we'll still do this once we're married, _Justin thought, though he knew deep down that they would. The day that he and Brian stopped having sex would be the day that even Viagra couldn't help get an erection, and Justin liked it that way.

He didn't last as long as he normally did, but he was tired, so he didn't mind too much. Brian moved up next to Justin. "Now, Nurse Taylor, I think I might have a problem with my groin, would you mind examining me?"

"Why no, Doctor Kinney, it would be my pleasure." Another night of making love: just what the doctor ordered.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Justin has a meeting with the Dean of Admissions at the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts. Hoping to get Emmett and Calvin back together, Justin personally invites Calvin to the wedding. Michael and Ben meet Lexi (Hunter's girlfriend) and her quirky parents.


	15. Back to School

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **While rallying around Emmett, the guys hosted a surprise dinner for Brian and Justin at Debbie's house. Calvin returned to get some belongings and Emmett convinced him to stay for dinner. The guys (sans Emmett) hatched a plan to get Emmett and Calvin back together.

Justin decided upon returning home that he wanted to go back to school and finish his art degree. He made an appointment with the Dean of Admissions at the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts.

Michael and Ben confronted Hunter about his weird behavior. As it turned out, he'd been secretly dating an HIV positive classmate named Lexi. The reason that he didn't tell Michael and Ben was that he was afraid that after the mess with Callie and her parents, that they would not approve. Michael told Hunter to invite Lexi and her parents over for dinner.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

Justin got up with Brian and together they took a shower. He had an early meeting with the dean of admissions at PIFA and he wanted to make the best impression he possibly could. Brian gave Justin a ride to the campus. "I'm so proud of you," he said, kissing Justin passionately.

"Thanks, Brian. I just hope they let me back in." Justin fumbled with his seat belt nervously.

"They'd be crazy not to. You're talented."

"So are a lot of people..."

"Don't start that! You'll be fine."

"Okay, I have to go. Wish me luck," Justin said, getting out of the car.

"Good luck," Brian said before driving off.

Nervousness set in, but Justin ignored it as best he could. He made his way to the Dean's office, noticing that the waiting room was slightly full. _Good_, he thought to himself, _more time to work on my pitch_. Unfortunately for Justin, the people in front of him were in and out of the Dean's office very quickly. When his name was called, his heart began to pound. _Calm down_!

The dean's office looked exactly the same as it had the last time that Justin had been in there. "Hello, Mr. Taylor," the Dean said, not completely unfriendly.

"Dean."

"What can I do for you?"

"I want to re-enroll," Justin said, affecting Brian's calm demeanor.

"I see." The smile vanished from the Dean's face.

"Is there a problem?"

"Not particularly, but Mr. Taylor, you did manage to get yourself in quite a bit of trouble..."

"So I slept with Mr. Kinney, as I said before, he and I were in a relationship prior to my internship at Vanguard."

"It's more than that."

"I made some 'Stop Stockwell' posters, big deal. He was a homophobic bigot. Don't I have a right to express my political beliefs?"

"Yes you do, but Mr. Taylor..."

"Look, Dean, if you're not going to accept my application, just tell me."

"Despite your...colorful past with us, I've never been one to deny someone an education. Welcome back."

Justin heaved a sigh of relief and smiled his trademark grin. Thank you so much, Dean!" he said, shaking the Dean's hand enthusiastically.

"Don't thank me yet, Mr. Taylor. There are a few stipulations."

"Stipulations?" Justin sighed. _Great. I knew it wasn't going to be as easy as that._

"You may audit for the remaining two weeks of classes and then you'll be required to complete a summer internship at the company of your choice. Considering you do that without any problems, you'll be readmitted and allowed to attend classes as a student starting in the fall."

"Okay." _It's not that bad._

"And remember to go to the Student Aid department to work out your financial matters."

"I will. Thanks again."

As soon as Justin was outside again, he called Brian. "Sunshine," Brian said by way of greeting. "How did the meeting go?"

"I got in!" Justin exclaimed. "They told me I could audit for the remainder of this semester and after completing a summer internship, I could attend classes in the fall as a student."

"That's great. How about we celebrate tonight?"

"I'd like that."

"I'll be home around the usual time, be ready."

"What are we going to do?"

"It's a surprise."

"Brian!"

"I have to go, a client just walked in. I love you."

"I love you." Justin grinned.

His mind preoccupied with that night's surprise, Justin almost walked past the Student Aid department building. He was given some forms to fill out and return at the soonest possible date. Brian had insisted upon paying the tuition, as he'd done before, except this time, he would not allow Justin to pay him back; not with money anyway. _Time to go job hunting._

Luckily, Debbie had an opening at the Liberty Diner. Justin had worked there for a couple of years, so he already knew the lay of the land. Debbie was short staffed; Justin was able to start working immediately. The only difference now was that instead of being a busboy, he was a waiter. "It's just like old times!" Deb said jovially.

"Let's just hope I haven't lost any of my assets," Justin joked, filling up a customer's cup with coffee.

"Don't worry, your ass looks great to me," the man said, eyeing Justin's backside appreciatively.

"Thanks. What can I get for you?"

"I will have..." the man quickly scanned the menu, "the eggs benedict with bacon and hash browns."

"Coming right up," Justin said, taking the order up to the counter.

The hours flew right by, much to Justin's surprise. "Do you have any plans tonight?" Deb asked after Justin had told her about his re-enrollment at PIFA.

"Brian and I are going to do something when he gets home from work."

"Something?" Debbie asked. "Is that what you crazy kids are calling it these days?"

"He won't tell me what he has planned..."

"It must be good, then," Deb assured him, laughing.

"With Brian, it's always good." Justin winked at her.

The door opened and closed. Looking up, Justin refrained from rolling his eyes. It was his mother. As much as he loved her, she got on his nerves sometimes. "Hey, Mom," he said with a fake grin.

"Justin. I didn't expect to see you here," Jennifer replied, surprised.

"I needed a job and Deb had an opening."

"I see."

"If you didn't come here to see me, why are you here?"

"I came to see Deb, actually. We're having a PFLAG meeting at the house."

"Oh shit! I almost forgot. Give me two minutes, Jennifer!" Debbie exclaimed.

"It's fine, Debbie. We have time. It'll give me some time to talk to Justin."

"Talk to me about what?" Justin asked.

"Well, I hardly ever hear from you anymore. What's new in your life?"

"A lot." He couldn't help but smile at the memory of Paris.

"What did you and Brian do now?" Jennifer teased.

"You're not going to believe this, but...we went to Paris."

"You're kidding!" Jennifer's mouth dropped open.

"No. We spent a week sightseeing."

"That's some late birthday present. Brian really loves you, you know."

"Yeah, he does." Justin smiled.

"So, are you guys ready for the wedding?"

"We can't wait," Justin assured her.

"I am so happy for you, sweetheart."

"Thanks, Mom." Justin began to feel bad for avoiding her. "You're not going to guess what I did today."

"What?"

"I got back into the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts! I'm going to finish my art degree."

"Honey, that's wonderful!" Jennifer gave Justin a hug.

"I'm ready Jennifer," Debbie announced, putting on her coat.

"Okay. I'll talk to you later, sweetie."

"I'll call you later, Mom."

* * *

With Deb gone, Justin's shift was over, but he had something to do before he went home.

Debbie had given Justin Calvin's cell phone number and after calling, Justin arranged to meet Calvin at his hotel room. Luckily for him, the hotel was not far. Calvin met Justin outside.

"Hey Calvin," he said, slightly breathless.

"Is he all right?" Calvin asked, worriedly.

"Yeah, Emmett's fine. Do you have a minute?" Calvin visibly relaxed.

"Sure. What's up?"

"I just wanted to personally invite you to the wedding."

"That's very kind of you."

"Look, I know that we don't know each other very well, but you're a part of the group now, and it would mean a lot to Brian and I if you came," Justin pleaded.

"Justin, I don't think it's such a good idea..." Calvin shuffled his feet anxiously.

"Please?" He jutted out his lower lip. It was an effective technique that he used on Brian.

Calvin sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'll go." He chuckled. "No wonder Brian can't deny you anything."

"Thank you so much! You'll have a blast, I promise." Justin caught sight of the time. "Shit, I have to get home. I'll see you later."

"Bye," Calvin said, shaking his head slightly.

Justin ran all the way back to the loft and made it just on time. As soon as the elevator had reached the top floor, he was out and digging in his pocket for the key. Opening the door, he stopped dead in his tracks. The loft was lit up with tons of candles and the delicious smell of home cooking wafted out to him. Justin looked around, confused. "Ah, Sunshine," Brian greeted him, coming out from the bedroom. "Just in time."

"What's going on?" Justin asked, still in shock.

"We're celebrating."

"You're cooking..." Brian hardly ever cooked. Justin could barely wrap his mind around the idea.

"I know that I may not cook all that often, but I do happen to be in possession of a seafood fettuccini recipe that will knock your socks off, and hopefully your other clothes as well." Brian helped Justin out his coat, tenderly nibbling his ear.

"You did all this for me?" Justin asked incredulously, his heart melting.

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"No. I'm just surprised is all."

"That was the point. Now come on, dinner's ready." Brian led Justin to the table and set a plate before him.

"This smells really good," Justin said, taking a bite. "Mmmm, this is great!"

"I'm glad you like it," Brian replied, sitting down across from Justin. "It's one of the only things I can make that doesn't end up in the trash."

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"No, but you can tell me if you want."

"I love you more than anything in the world, Brian. When we're not together, I feel this emptiness...I'm nothing without you."

"I love you, too." Brian replied, smiling.

"Sorry, that was a little mushy, huh?" Justin laughed.

"Not at all." They stared at each other for a long time. "Well, hurry up and finish your dinner, dessert's waiting."

"What's for dessert?"

"It's a surprise, but I guarantee you'll enjoy it."

"Mmmm, I believe you," Justin said, grinning mischievously.

* * *

Michael liked Lexi's parents. Robert and Antonique Harold seemed like very nice people. They were polite, friendly, and accepting; three of the qualities that Michael cared most about. Robert and Ben got along very well, as it turned out, Robert was an English teacher at the high school. "We are so glad that Lexi finally met someone. We were starting to worry that her...ailment would keep her from experiencing the one thing we all crave," Antonique said.

"Mom, please!" Lexi begged, flushing puce with embarrassment.

"What! All I'm saying is that I'm happy for you."

"Parents," Hunter grumbled to Lexi, rolling his eyes.

"Fine honey, I'll change the subject. How did you and Ben meet?" Antonique asked Michael.

"He came into my comic book store one day looking for material for his class," Michael answered, smiling at Ben.

"How sweet!"

"How did you guys meet?" Ben asked, sipping his wine.

"We went to school together. He asked me out our Freshman year and at graduation, he proposed to me."

"How romantic," Michael commented.

"My parents wanted to kill me, but they came around," Robert admitted.

"They always do," Ben agreed.

"Did your parents disapprove of your relationship?" Robert asked.

"My mom didn't like it right away. Not because she didn't like Ben, she was just concerned because of his HIV status," Michael explained.

"It's a good thing that she came around," Antonique said. "The last thing you want is an angry mother-in-law that hates you." Everyone laughed. "It took me a while to come to terms with Lexi being positive. I was so scared for her."

"As any parent would be," Ben replied.

"May I be excused?" Hunter asked.

"Sure, Hunter."

"Come on Lexi," Hunter said, taking Lexi's plate for her, "I'm going to go do the dishes, want to keep me company?"

"I'd love to." Lexi smiled at Ben and Michael and then followed Hunter into the kitchen.

"What a nice young man you have!" Antonique gushed.

"Lexi's great, too," Michael replied.

"Now."

"I'm sorry?"

"She's always been a good kid, but a couple of years ago, she started hanging out with the wrong crowd. She was doing drugs, we're assuming that's how she got infected. She never actually told us. Thankfully, we got to her in time. She went into rehab for bit and now she's like she was before." Antonique admitted, her voice losing all of its former cheeriness.

"That's horrible!" Michael exclaimed.

"Do you mind if we ask how Hunter got infected?"

Ben and Michael looked at each other for a second. The Harolds seemed like really nice people but was is right to tell them. And they had shared Lexi's story. Ben finally answered. "When Hunter lived with his mother, she forced him to go out and work the streets as a hustler. One of his clients must've been positive.."

"His own mother!" Antonique gasped, her face a picture of shock and disgust. "_That's _horrible!"

"Yeah, she tried to take him away from us a couple of years ago, but thankfully she didn't get him."

"People like that shouldn't be allowed to have children. You know? Why give birth to a child if you're not going to love and cherish it?"

"My thoughts exactly." Michael smiled.

"Do you have any other children?" Antonique asked, desperate for a change of subject.

"I have a daughter with my friend Melanie, her name's Jennifer Rebecca, we call her JR for short." Michael beamed.

"What a beautiful name! I thought about naming Lexi Jennifer, but the name Lexi just spoke to me."

"Melanie picked the name. Luckily for her, Lindsay and I liked it."

"Lindsay?" Antonique furrowed her brows.

"Oh, Lindsay is Melanie's wife. They moved to Toronto almost two months ago with JR and Gus. He's my friend Brian's son with Lindsay."

"That is just the sweetest thing," Antonique gushed.

"I wanted to have another one, but Robert had his mind set on just one."

"Children are expensive!" Robert said in his defense.

"Yes, they are, but I wouldn't trade it for anything," Ben replied.

"You know? I think we're all going to get along perfectly!" Antonique said.

"I think you're right," Michael agreed, giggling. He was a little tipsy from all the wine he'd had.

Clearing off the table, Michael headed into the kitchen, where Hunter and Lexi were passionately making out by the sink. He cleared his throat. "Oh, my God!" Lexi gasped. "Please, don't tell my parents," she begged quietly.

"I won't. Are they really strict?" Michael asked, a little confused.

"No. They'll just give me the third degree and I really don't feel comfortable sharing it with them."

"I see. Don't worry. This is between us, I promise."

"Thank you, Mr. Novotny."

"Please, it's Michael."

"Thanks, Michael." Lexi smiled.

"Lexi! Come on, sweetie. It's time to go!" Antonique called from the dining room.

Michael, Hunter, and Lexi walked out of the kitchen. Lexi grabbed her coat and after thanking everyone for dinner, the Harolds left. "They were really nice," Ben said, helping Michael carry the rest of the dishes into the kitchen.

"Yeah they were. Antonique is something else, but I like her."

"They're really cool... for parents," Hunter commented.

"Like us?" Ben asked jokingly.

"You guys are more than cool, you're awesome."

"You'd better say that," Michael replied.

"I'll do the dishes. You guys go to bed," Hunter said, grabbing the dirty plates from Ben.

"Are you sure?" Ben asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight," Ben and Michael said, heading upstairs.

They climbed into bed and got under the blankets. "I can't wait to see JR," Michael confessed, resting his head on Ben's shoulder. "It's been too long since I've seen her."

"The good news is that she won't resent you for it, she's still too young," Ben said, joking.

"Ten days," Michael murmured.

That night, he dreamt of playing with JR on a playground, happy as he'd ever been.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **It's the night before Brian and Justin's wedding. Mel and Linz are back to share the joy. Ted has a proposal for Blake. The next morning, Justin gets a surprise visit from Jennifer.


	16. The Night Before the Big Day

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Justin got accepted back into the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts and to celebrate, Brian made him a romantic, home cooked meal. On his way home, Justin convinced Calvin to come to the wedding, hoping to get him and Emmett back together.

Michael and Ben met Hunter's girlfriend Lexi and her eccentric parents Antonique and Robert. Fortunutely, they got on well, forming a quick friendship.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

The days flew by and before Brian knew it, it was the day before the wedding. Melanie and Lindsay had made the drive down to Pittsburgh that morning, and were visiting with Brian and Justin. "It's so weird being back here," Lindsay admitted. "It feels like forever since we left."

"It has been forever," Brian reminded her. He was sitting on the floor with Gus and Justin playing a game.

"Gus is so much bigger than the last time I saw him," Justin said. "I can't believe I missed a even a month of his life."

"He'll forgive you," Melanie assured him. She was feeding JR. "You've been in his life since the day he was born."

"Yeah, I guess I have." Justin and Brian locked eyes.

"You're like his second dad," Lindsay joked.

"The funny thing is, he is like a son to me," Justin confessed. "I love him every bit as much as you guys do."

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," Brian called, not looking up from the game. He knew who it was. "Mikey," he said in greeting.

"Hey guys," Michael said, his eyes wide. He could barely contain his eagerness. Melanie stood up and carried JR over to her father. "Hey honeybun!" Michael cooed, kissing her softly on the forehead. "She's gotten so beautiful."

"She has." Melanie smiled kindly.

"How's she been?"

"I got her on the bottle now, my nipples are thankful."

"I remember how it felt." Lindsay laughed. "I was so relieved when Gus stopped breast feeding."

"Enough talk about tits, I just ate," Brian joked.

"Hey Linz, I'm gonna run down to the car and get the camera," Mel said, heading for the door. "Do you want anything?"

"No, thanks, sweetie."

Michael sat down next to Brian and Gus with JR. "Hey, Gus." Michael tousled his hair.

"Hi, Uncle Michael," Gus replied.

"Uncle Michael? I like that."

"Mel and I've been working on that with him," Lindsay explained.

"Does that mean JR's going to call me Uncle Brian?" Brian asked.

"Would you rather be Grandpa Brian?"

"How about great-grandpa Brian?" Justin continued. "Ow!" he exclaimed when Brian flicked his hand.

"Are you two ready for the big day tomorrow?" Lindsay asked.

"I certainly am," Brian replied, smiling lovingly at Justin.

"Couldn't come fast enough," Justin answered.

"It sounds like you have a real problem there," Brian joked.

"Ha ha. Very funny, Brian."

Melanie came back with the camera. "I wanted to take some pictures of you and Jenny Rebecca," she explained. "The only ones we have of you two are from when she was an infant. I figured it was time to change that."

"I won't argue with that," Michael said, putting JR on his lap. "I forgot my camera at home, but I'll be sure to bring it tomorrow. How long are you guys staying in town for, anyway?" he asked.

"A few days," Mel answered, taking a few pictures. "Gus has school on Monday, and Linz and I have to work."

"Where are you working now?" Michael asked Lindsay.

"I got a teaching position at the high school near our house," she answered. "I'm really loving this job. The kids are well behaved, the other teachers are friendly, it's great. I looked for openings at all the galleries, but they were all full. So, I decided to go back to teaching for now."

"Wait. The kids are well behaved? What the fuck kind of teenagers are they raising in Toronto?" Brian asked.

"Brian, please," Melanie begged. "Gus is old enough now that he picks up on what you say. We'd appreciate it if you'd watch your mouth around him."

"Yes ma'am," Brian replied, saluting.

"I've missed you," Mel muttered sarcastically.

"All right you two, stop bickering," Lindsay chided. "We're here to celebrate a wedding, not kill each other."

"So, do you two have any plans tonight?" Mel asked, changing the subject.

"We figured we'd just stay in," Justin answered. "I'm still exhausted from Paris. Which reminds me, I have some pictures for you Linz." Justin got up and went into the bedroom.

He came back out with a stack of pictures. Lindsay took the proffered photos and gasped in amazement. "You went to the Louvre! Oh, I would love to go there one day. These pictures are so beautiful! Thank you, Justin." She gave him a quick hug.

"I figured these would tide you over until you could go and see the art in person," Justin replied.

"That was very thoughtful of you," Mel said, taking a picture of Brian, Justin, and Gus.

"You two are like family to me. You've been there since day one. I love you guys."

"We love you, too," Lindsay assured him.

"Enough with the love crap. Save that for tomorrow." Brian winked at Justin. "Hey, Sonny Boy, are you excited for tomorrow?" he asked Gus.

"Yes," Gus answered, smiling.

"Daddy's counting on you." Brian kissed Gus's forehead.

Justin got up and Michael followed him. They went over to stand by Melanie and Lindsay. "So, where are you guys staying?" Justin asked.

"We figured we'd just get a motel room or something," Mel replied, shrugging.

"No. You can come and stay with Ben and I," Michael insisted.

"Are you sure? We wouldn't want to impose," Linz said.

"Not at all! There's plenty of room. Plus, then I can spend more time with Jenny Rebecca."

"Ah, so your true intentions show themselves," Melanie teased.

"Can you blame me? She's the only daughter I'll ever have. I love her so much!"

"Who could blame you? She's beautiful."

"I can't figure out who she looks like," Justin said. "Gus looks just like Brian, but JR is more of a combination of you two."

"You think?" Mel asked, looking at Jenny. "She definitely has my nose."

"And my eyes," Michael continued.

"She has Mel's lips," Lindsay pointed out. Brian chuckled to himself.

Michael's cell phone rang. "Excuse me," he said, stepping away. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Ben."

"Oh, hey. What's up?" Michael smiled at the sound of Ben's voice.

"I just wanted to let you know that I made dinner and it's ready when you are."

"Another reason I love you. Hey, do you mind if Mel and Linz stay with us while they're in town?"

"Of course not, in fact, there's plenty of food. Invite them to dinner."

"Okay, hang on. Do you guys want to have dinner with Ben and I?"

"Sure," Melanie said, shrugging.

"Okay, we'll be right there. I love you." Michael hung up.

"Don't forget to blow him later," Brian teased. Melanie gave him a reproachful look.

"Dinner's ready now guys, so we'd better go," Michael announced, rising.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Lindsay said, putting her coat on. "Come on, Gus."

"Bye, son." Brian waved.

"Bye, Daddy."

When everyone was gone, Brian heaved a big sigh. "Alone at last." He draped an arm around Justin's shoulder and kissed his neck.

"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy seeing Gus," Justin replied, arching an eyebrow.

"Of course I did, but all this wedding talk has me itching the fuck you."

"Well, in that case, shall we pay a visit to the boudoir?" Justin grinned.

"I thought you'd never ask." They tumbled onto the bed.

* * *

Ted and Blake were at Babylon with Emmett. Because Brian had taken the night off to be with Justin, Ted was in charge. _Maybe I can convince Brian to sell it to me when he leaves, _Ted mused. "The place is packed tonight," he commented.

"Same as always," Blake replied. "Yet, I keep coming back."

"That's because this is where we first met." Ted kissed Blake.

"Is it?" Blake joked. Ted laughed.

"Wanna dance?"

"Sure."

"Em, will you be okay for a while?" Ted asked.

"I'll be fine, Teddy. Go. Have fun," Emmett assured him, smiling.

"We'll be right back."

"Go!" He gave Ted a little push.

Once on the dance floor, Ted forgot all about Emmett as his mind shifted back to Blake. "I hope I don't cry at the wedding tomorrow," he said, laughing.

"Do you usually cry at weddings?"

"You should've seen Emmett and I at Michael and Ben's wedding; I've never bawled so hard in my life."

"There's nothing wrong with that. I find men crying very sexy."

"Do you now? Well, then, I think you might just be in luck tomorrow."

"Good. Then someone will be getting lucky besides Brian and Justin," Blake joked.

"Who knows? We could be next."

"I hope you're not kidding."

"Would I joke about marriage?" Ted's smile vanished.

"I don't know, would you?."

"I love you, Blake Wyzecki, and I would be honored if you'd marry me." Ted pulled a ring out of his pocket.

"Oh, my God!" Blake gasped.

"Well?" Ted prompted, licking his lips nervously.

"Yes, Ted Schmidt. I will marry you."

Ted put the ring on Blake's finger and kissed him tenderly. Blake threw his arms around Ted and a few nearby spectators clapped. "What's going on?" Emmett asked, fighting his way through the crowd.

"I'll tell you later, Em," Ted replied, covering Blake's hand with his own.

"Oh, come on, Teddy! Tell me."

"Now's not really a good time..."

"For fuck's sake, just tell me!" Emmett insisted.

"Emmett...Blake and I are getting married," Ted relented, closing his eyes.

Emmett was speechless. "See? I told you now was a bad time," Ted said, grimacing.

"No, it's fine. Really. Congratulations." Emmett forced himself to smile.

"Em, you don't have to pretend..."

"Teddy, when have I ever pretended anything? If I was so good at pretending, maybe my daddy wouldn't have disowned me." He chuckled to himself.

"If he can't accept you for who you are, then that's his loss," Ted assured him.

"Please, I was over that years ago. I was just making a point. Even though I've had my heart broken, deservedly I know, I'm still happy for you. You're my best friend, Teddy."

"You, too, Em." Ted hugged Emmett, catching Blake's eye.

"I'm going to go get a drink. Anyone want anything?" Blake asked.

"Nothing for me, thanks," Ted replied.

"Emmett?"

"No, thanks. I can't mix alcohol with Xanax."

Ted looked at Emmett. "You and your Xanax, Em. Thank God you've never become addicted to it."

"I only take one when I'm stressed out," Emmett defended himself. "Which, lately has been every day, but you don't have to worry about me, I've never been addicted to anything in my life."

"Miraculously." Ted shook his head. Then a thought came to him. "What about that time you were obsessed with 'seeing the light?' That counts as an addiction, right?"

"That wasn't an addiction, that was a promise to God," Emmett reminded him.

"You did not make a good straight man at all." Ted laughed at the memory.

"I thought I pulled it off quite nicely..." Ted snickered. "Okay, I sucked."

"Yeah, that's the reason why you could never be straight."

"Thanks, Teddy," Emmett said suddenly serious.

"For what?"

"For getting my mind off of Calvin for the first time in almost two weeks."

"Don't mention it." Ted wrapped his arm around Emmett's shoulder. "It's nice to see even a glimpse of the old you again. I've missed my extremely flamboyant best friend."

Blake came back with the drinks. "I have to get going," he said apologetically. "There's no rest for a drug counselor."

"I'll be home in a little bit," Ted promised. He leaned in and kissed Blake. "See you when I get home?"

"Sure. Bye, Emmett."

"Bye." Emmett waved. Once Blake was gone, he asked, "Care to dance?"

"That's my Emmett."

Ted and Emmett began to dance to an old favorite.

* * *

The wedding was scheduled for late afternoon. Brian and Justin spent the morning in bed relaxing. "In a few hours we'll be married," Justin said, stroking the top of Brian's head.

"It's happening this time," Brian replied. "Nothing is going to stop it."

"You had to bring that up, didn't you?" Justin joked.

"Justin, look, I just want you to know that I'm not just doing this to make you happy. Marrying you will make me happy, too."

"I realize that now. I'm just sorry I couldn't have seen the bigger picture before going to New York."

"No apologies. No regrets," Brian reminded him.

"I just feel horrible for what I put you through. I practically begged for this for years and then when you were ready, I let my insecurities convince me that you weren't doing it for yourself, you were doing it for me."

"Listen to me, Justin. Are you listening?"

"Yeah." Justin couldn't hold back a smile.

"That's all in the past. Forget it. We're together now, that's what matters."

"Thank God you held onto the rings."

"Just because you were leaving Pittsburgh didn't mean you were leaving me. I knew you'd come back eventually."

"And you were willing to wait for me."

"Sunshine, when will you get into your beautiful blond head that I love you?" Brian asked.

"I know you love me, Brian," Justin answered.

"Then why are we having this conversation?"

"Because I never believed that love like this could exist."

"Me neither."

"You know? It's too bad that I didn't invite my dad to our wedding, I'd love to see his face." Justin laughed. "He'd probably have an aneurysm."

"So would my mother. She'd probably start sprinkling us with holy water and praying for our 'eternally damned souls' or some such shit."

"Parents: fuck 'em."

"A man after my own heart." Brian chuckled.

"In more ways than one."

"You're gonna get it," Brian replied, hitting Justin with a pillow.

"No, not the face!" Justin shrieked, laughing hysterically. They began to hit each other with the pillows, laughing hysterically.

Stopping, Brian leaned in and kissed Justin, dropping his pillow. "Does that mean I win?" Justin asked.

"Not by a long shot."

"What will it take for you to forfeit?"

"What are you offering?"

"Whatever it takes."

"In that case..." They started to kiss again.

A knock at the door interrupted them. "Who could that be?" Justin asked.

"Who the fuck knows?" Brian replied, getting up. "Stay in bed. I'll be right back." He went to the door and jerked it open with irritation. "What do you want?"

"It's nice to see you, too, Brian," Jennifer said, laughing.

"I'm assuming you're here to see Justin."

"Yes."

"Hey, Mom," Justin said, coming out of the bedroom. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. You're getting married today, I wanted to see you."

"I'm flattered, Mom, but you'll see me at the wedding."

"If I came at a bad time, I can leave..."

"Stay," Brian insisted, shutting the door. Justin shot Brian a look. "I'm going to go take a shower."

Left alone with his mother, Justin went and sat on the sofa, motioning for Jennifer to join him. "Okay, I'm all ears," he said.

"I just wanted to see you when we could be alone, not that I don't like your friends. I wanted to say that I'm so happy for you and no mother could be prouder of her son than I am of you today."

"Oh, Mom, stop it. If either of us starts crying, Brian'll call the wedding off," Justin teased.

"I love you, Justin."

"I love you, too, Mom." They hugged and Jennifer looked at her watch. "I'll let you go now, I have to pick up Molly. See you in a few hours."

"Bye."

As soon as Jennifer was gone, Brian came out of the bedroom. "I heard what she said."

"I have the best mother in the world," Justin realized.

"Well, one of the best mothers," Brian corrected.

"Where were we before we were interrupted?" Justin asked, rising and heading toward the bedroom.

"And I was worried you'd forget," Brian joked, following Justin.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **After nearly five years of nail biting anticipation, it's finally here: Brian and Justin's wedding! Will Brian be able to remain stoic when he and Justin exchange their vows? Will the gang's plan to reunite Emmett and Calvin work? Michael and the others have a surprise for the grooms after the ceremony.


	17. Wind Beneath My Wings

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Melanie and Lindsay returned to celebrate the wedding.

Ted propsed to Blake, who happily accepted.

The morning of the wedding, Jennifer paid a visit Justin, telling him how much she loved him and how proud she was of him.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

Brian and Justin made it to the church with time to spare. The minister was eagerly awaiting them. "It's people like you that make me glad I chose to become a minister," she said. Brian and Justin exchanged amused grins.

"That's very kind of you," Justin replied, avoiding eye contact with Brian so he wouldn't laugh.

The guests began to arrive, and Gus was given the rings to hold onto. "You know what to do, right, Gus?" Brian asked, kneeling down. Gus nodded. "Good boy."

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Lindsay asked Brian, grabbing his arm.

"Why not?" he replied, following her off to the side.

"I'm going to go say hi to Shelby," Justin said, waving enthusiastically to a blonde girl. Brian watched them for a minute and when the girl waved enthusiastically, he waved back.

"What is it?" Brian asked Lindsay.

"I just wanted to say that I'm so happy for you. I know that you and Justin will be very happy..." Lindsay's voice shook with emotion and she started to cry.

"Thanks, Lindsay," Brian said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"I can't believe it's finally happening, after all these years."

"Me neither," Brian admitted. "As unbelievable as this may sound, I can't wait to marry him."

"It isn't unbelievable to me. I knew you loved him from the start, I could tell that he was different; the one to finally tame you."

"You're calling me a stallion again?" Brian quipped.

"I remember those times in college..." Linds began.

"Just think, this could've been you." They considered it for a second. "Nah," they said in unison.

"Good luck," Lindsay whispered, kissing Brian on the cheek. She went and sat next to Melanie.

Michael and Daphne took their places beside Brian and Justin, while Gus stood next to Daphne, holding her hand. When everyone was seated, the minister began. Neither Brian nor Justin paid attention to what she was saying, they were anxiously awaiting the exchanging of the rings. In the front pew, Emmett and Ted cried, and behind them, Jennifer dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. Brian could not muster up enough cynicism to roll his eyes, so instead he just smiled at Justin.

Justin's heart was pounding in his chest. He'd waited for this day right from the moment he had first met Brian, and even though he'd feared that it would never come, he had never quite given up on it. Looking at Brian, Justin had no regrets about his life whatsoever; he thanked God for having brought Brian into his life, and promised never to let him go.

The minister continued to speak and Brian was so lost in Justin's smile that he didn't realize that she had prompted him for his vows. "What can I say? You came into my life and changed everything. You brought out the part of me that I'd buried long ago and assumed was gone forever. You have made me a better person and although it took me four years to say it, I've always felt it. I love you." At the end, Brian's voice cracked a little.

"Justin?" Justin's eyes teared up and for a second he couldn't speak

"It's true that you made me wait four years before you told me how you felt, but somehow I always knew it. You've shown in it in countless ways: your smiles, your actions, your caresses. You've always taken good care of me and I promise to love you and take as good of care of you as you've taken of me. I'll love you forever." Even Brian's eyes were teared up now.

"The rings." Gingerly, Gus handed one ring to Brian and the other to Justin. Brian smiled proudly at Gus. "Brian, do you take Justin to be your husband?"

"I do," Brian said without a moment's hesitation, slipping the ring onto Justin's finger. He smiled broadly.

"Justin, do you take Brian to be your husband?"

"I do," Justin answered, his heart pounding even faster as he put the ring on Brian's finger. "I love you," he mouthed. Brian mouthed it back.

"Then by the power vested in me by the love and faith of your family, I now pronounce you married. You may kiss." Brian and Justin didn't need to be told twice. Before the sentence had passed the minister's lips, they were passionately kissing. The guests clapped excitedly and Michael and Daphne sprinkled glitter onto the grooms. The minister brought out the documents, which Brian and Justin quickly signed, followed by Michael and Daphne. "Can you believe we're finally married?" Justin asked.

"At last," Brian replied. They kissed tenderly and their family clapped again, louder this time.

"Get a room!" Ted shouted, laughing.

"Later," Brian answered, winking at Justin.

Debbie came and hugged them. "I'm so proud of you two. I always knew you'd find someone worth loving one day," she said to Brian.

"You were secretly praying it wouldn't be Michael, weren't you?" Brian asked.

"I was praying for it more than secretly." Debbie laughed. "Sunshine, you look adorable. You're glowing."

"Yeah, Sunshine, you look...delectable," Brian joked.

"Thank you, Deb." Justin gave her a quick hug. "Wait until you see me out of my suit," he said to Brian.

"Be still my heart," Brian replied.

"Congratulations guys," Michael said, hugging Brian and giving him a quick kiss.

"Thanks Mikey," Brian said sarcastically.

"Oh, don't pretend like you're not enjoying this. I saw your face up there, you were just as excited as Justin was."

"I'm happy to be married to him," Brian admitted. "I just don't like the attention it's causing."

"Come with me," Michael said, grabbing Brian's hand.

"Where?"

"You'll see. It's a surprise for you and Justin."

"Surprise?" Justin asked, looking at Brian helplessly.

"It's from me and the guys," Michael answered, leading them toward the exit.

"Wait, we can't just leave."

"Of course you can! I've already talked it over with everyone."

"Mikey, what the fuck is going on?" Brian asked irritably.

"Wait and see," Michael replied, grinning impishly.

"I hate surprises," Brian mumbled.

On the way out, Justin said goodbye to Jennifer. "I'll talk to you later," he promised.

"I'm so happy for you!" she said again, crying.

"That's it, Jennifer. Let it out," Brian said as he passed by.

"There's no one else I'd rather have as a son-in-law," Jennifer admitted.

"There's no one else I'd rather have as a mother-in-law," Brian replied with a half smile.

"Guys, come on!" Michael said, grabbing them. "I'm sorry, Jennifer, but we have to go do the thing." He winked at her.

"Of course." She nodded in understanding. "Bye, boys."

Emmett looked over and caught Calvin's eye. _What the hell is he doing here?_ "Um...Michael, I'll catch up with you," he muttered, walking toward Calvin. "Hi." he said, blushing.

"Hey, Emmett. How have you been?" Calvin asked.

"I've been better," Emmett admitted. "How've you been?"

"I've been better." They both laughed nervously.

"So...what did you think of the wedding?" Emmett asked, changing the subject before he spilled his heart out.

"It was very nice. It's so obvious that they love each other."

"Yes it is. I'm just glad they finally did it. Who knows? The government might just decide to ban commitment ceremonies, too. Not that it matters. It's not like it'll ever happen to me." Emmett sighed sadly.

"Don't talk like that." Calvin reached out, but caught himself before he made contact.

"This could've been us," Emmett blurted. He immediately regretted it. "Calvin, I'm sorry..."

"Forget it." Their eyes met again. Before anyone knew what was happening, Emmett and Calvin were kissing.

"What just happened?" Calvin grinned at him. _He wants me back!_ "I'm sorry," Emmett repeated.

"Don't be. Look, Emmett, I've thought long and hard about this and...God, I miss you."

"I love you so much, Calvin!" Emmett kissed him.

"I need to see you... tonight."

"Meet me at my place around eight?" Emmett offered hopefully.

"I'll be there," Calvin promised.

"Okay, well, I have to go now. Later."

"Later." Emmett walked away smiling.

They had all pooled into Ted's car, as cramped as it was. Brian and Justin were blindfolded despite their protestations. When they arrived at their destination, Michael, Emmett, and Ted led Brian and Justin in before removing their blindfolds. They looked around.

"Babylon?" Brian asked. "This is our surprise? You brought us to Babylon?"

"This isn't the surprise," Michael replied. "That's still coming."

Ted and Emmett disappeared upstairs while Brian and Justin sat at the bar. "It's kind of weird being here when it's empty," Justin noted.

"I'm used to it." Brian grabbed a bottle of beer from behind the bar for himself and Justin.

"We're ready," Emmett said, coming down the stairs with Ted.

"Okay, let's go," Michael said.

Music began to play. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life?" Brian asked incredulously.

"That one's from me," Michael admitted. "Because of the crush we had on Patrick Swayze."

"Patrick Swayze," Justin said, holding back a laugh. "I still can't believe that one."

"He used to be hot," Brian insisted.

"Whatever you say." Justin couldn't stifle his laughter anymore.

"Let's dance," Brian said, rising and offering his hand to Justin.

"Are you serious?" Justin balked.

"Come on. Please?" Brian smiled and Justin's heart melted.

"All right, but don't laugh at me."

"Why would I laugh at you? You're a good dancer."

They made their way to the center of the dance floor and began to dance. _Is this what it was like on my prom night_? Justin wondered. "What are you thinking about?" Brian asked.

"I was just trying to remember my prom," Justin admitted.

"It's probably best that you don't."

"Remembering what you did for me is worth the pain of remembering the bashing."

"I promise that I won't ever let anything happen to you again."

"I know." He smiled. "I love you, Brian."

"I love you, too." They kissed, their passion taking reign.

Brian and Justin were so wrapped up in kissing that they didn't notice that the song had ended. Michael finally cleared his throat. "Do you two want to be alone?" he asked jokingly.

"Actually," Brian began.

"Save it for later, Bri. We've got another song for you," Ted said, smiling. An unfamiliar song began to play.

"What the fuck is this?" Brian asked, frowning.

"It's 'I Don't Know How to Love Him' from _Jesus Christ Superstar_," Emmett answered.

"And this reminds you of Justin and I because...?"

"Come on, Brian. We all knew that you loved Justin, but for years you wouldn't say it. You were confused and scared at first, right? Well that's what the song is about. See, Mary is a prostitute who falls in love with Jesus, but she's confused and afraid because of it."

"All right, I get the point," Brian said. "We can't really dance to this one."

"It kind of fits," Justin noted. "Not only were you confused about your feelings for me, you were also a whore." Michael, Emmett, and Ted burst out in laughter.

"Remind me to punish you for that later," Brian whispered into Justin's ear.

When the song was done, Ted said "I was going to choose '_O Soave Fanciulla_' from _La Bohème_, but I felt that this was more fitting." Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings" began to play.

"I like this one," Justin said to Brian.

"As long as they don't play that song from _Titanic_," Brian muttered.

Justin smiled and started to sing.

_Every night in my dreams,_

_I see you, I feel you._

_That is how I know you go on._

"Stop!" Brian said with mock sternness.

"Too mushy, huh?"

"Just a little." Brian chuckled. "But you nailed it. You have a great singing voice."

Slowly, they began to sway to the music once more. Their eyes were locked and nothing in the world mattered except for them. "This song is a great tribute to us," Justin said. "The only time I ever feel truly alive is when I'm with you."

"Me, too," Brian replied. Justin rested his head on Brian's shoulder as they continued to dance. "I'll never let you go."

"And I'll never make you want to let me go."

"That was poetic." Brian laughed.

"Shut up."

"The song's done."

"Who cares? Let's keep dancing."

"Whatever you say, Sunshine."

"When we get home, I have a present for you."

"I can't wait."

"Not _that_ kind of present! Though, I am incredibly horny right now.

"I'll take care of that when we get home," Brian promised.

"Are you ready to head home?"

"In a bit...unless you're ready to go."

"Let's stay a little longer. We wouldn't want to offend our friends."

They stopped dancing and turned to their friends. "It's my turn to pick some songs," Brian said.

"What do you have in mind?" Michael asked.

"Something...danceable," Brian replied with a smirk. "Come on, Mikey. It's our song." he said as Heather Pond's "Proud" began to play.

"I love this song!" Michael said, joining Brian and Justin on the dance floor.

"What the hell?" Emmett said, setting his drink down and dragging Ted with him onto the dance floor. Together, they danced.

* * *

By the time they got back to the loft, Brian had a slight buzz going; Justin had driven them home. "We did it," Justin said as they changed into more comfortable clothes. "We're finally married." His lips tingled as the words came out.

"About time, right? Any longer and it would've been a common law thing," Brian joked.

"Yeah, probably." Justin laughed. "Are you ready for your present?" he asked. Brian nodded. "Okay, close your eyes."

"Are you kidding?" Brian raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"No, close them!" Justin insisted.

"Fine, they're closed."

When Justin was sure that Brian had complied, he went into the bathroom and came out with an object wrapped in a sheet; it was almost as tall as him. "Open 'em," he said. Brian opened his eyes and Justin pulled the sheet away from the object. When Brian saw it he blinked a few times in shock. It was a painting based on a picture of Justin, Gus, and himself taken before the wedding had been called off. "So, what do you think?" Justin asked nervously.

"It's..." Brian couldn't find words to describe it.

"It sucks, doesn't it?" Justin sounded crestfallen.

"No! I'm sorry, the alcohol isn't allowing my brain to find the right words," Brian explained.

"So you like it?"

"Like it? I _love _it! I can't believe you painted this. Thank you." He kissed Justin's neck.

"Once I found my muse again...it just came to me."

"When did you find time to do this? It must've taken forever."

"I started it in New York...and once I came back, I used every spare moment I had when you weren't around to do it. I thought it would look nice in the new house."

"Until then, I know a great place for it." Brian carried the canvas into the bedroom and hung it up so that it faced the bed.

"The bedroom?" Justin asked uncertainly.

"Would you like it somewhere else?"

"No, here's fine. It's going to be weird having sex with Gus watching." Justin laughed.

"You're going to hate me, but I have a gift for you, too," Brian said, grinning mischievously.

"What now?" Justin asked hesitantly.

Brian went into his bedside stand and pulled out an envelope. "Open it," he said, handing it to Justin. Justin slowly opened it and pulled the contents out.

"Tickets to Italy!" Justin's mouth dropped open.

"I would've gotten tickets to Sydney so we could go to Gay Mardi Gras, but that isn't until next year."

"It's only a weekend getaway." He heaved a sigh of relief.

"You sound disappointed."

"Not at all, I still feel bad about Paris."

"Don't."

"What would I do without you, Brian?" Justin asked, looking into Brian's eyes.

"You'd be a poor starving artist living in Montmartre. But even then, I'd still find you."

Brian made them a few drinks. "I have another gift for you," Justin said, rubbing Brian's shoulders.

"Another painting? Is it a nude self portrait?"

"No. I hear that when you get married, the sex gets even hotter." Brian smiled. "How about we try it out, see for ourselves?"

"Let's do it," Brian said, leading Justin into the bedroom.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian decides to spend some quality time with Gus before he goes back to Canada. Emmett wakes up next to Calvin, but will they get back together? Carl has a question of his own for Debbie.


	18. Happy Family

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin got married! Even Brian was unable to keep his composure when he and Justin exchanged vows.

Michael and the others suprised Brian and Justin with a party at Babylon.

Back at the loft, Justin gave Brian present: a painting of himself, Brian, and Gus.

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

Married sex was definitely hotter. It was so hot, in fact, that neither Brian nor Justin slept at all that night. "I haven't fucked all night like that since..." Brian thought long and hard about it. "Ever, actually."

"How sweet of you to save it for me," Justin jokingly replied.

"If I'd known it was going to be this good, I'd have married you the night we met." Brian laughed.

"Do you have to work today?" Justin asked, cuddling up next to Brian.

"I took the day off. I thought maybe I'd go pick Gus up and spend some time with him."

"Good idea. Who knows when we'll see him again."

"Lindsay agreed to let me take him for the summer."

_Oh yeah_, Justin thought. "I forgot about that."

"It'll be nice to actually spend some quality time with him, get him away from those dykes before he turns into one, too."

"I think it's pretty impossible to turn a boy into a lesbian." Justin laughed.

"They'll find a way."

"At least he's got us to counteract it. We can turn him into a queer," Justin joked.

"Hopefully two sets of gay parents will have _some _effect on him."

"Whether or not Gus is gay, at least he won't hate us."

"You can't be sure of that. All teenagers hate their parents and this just gives him another excuse."

"What would he have to hate you for? Being gay?"

"I've been hated for less."

Justin decided to change the subject. "I don't want to get out of bed today."

"Then don't. I'll go get Gus and bring him back here."

"Yeah good plan: bring Gus here and I'll stay in bed –– naked. That's sure to make him gay."

"Throw some clothes on."

"I thought of that, but that would actually involve getting out of bed." Justin laughed.

"Not necessarily." Brian kissed Justin's nose. "When I get up to go I'll grab you some clothes."

"What a wonderful husband you are."

"Why thank you, what a wonderful wife you are," Brian teased.

"Truthfully, the whole wife thing doesn't do it for me. I'd look horrible in drag."

"I think you'd look gorgeous in drag."

"Maybe just for you..." Justin kissed Brian. "That'll be your anniversary present."

"Kinky."

"Can we just stay like this forever; never have to leave the loft, always together?"

"As much as I love you, Sunshine, I think we'd be ready to kill each other if we never left the loft."

"Good point. I should probably leave, then." Justin sat up.

"No!" Brian said, pushing Justin back down onto the bed. "You're staying here with me."

"If you say so."

"I do. Besides, I've recharged my batteries. I'm ready to go again."

"About time. You're taking longer to recharge in your old age."

"I'll show you old age!" Brian grabbed a condom from the bedside stand.

* * *

Emmett awoke slightly confused. Much of the previous night was a blur. There was someone in the bed with him, and he didn't know who. _Don't tell me I picked up a trick at the wedding_! Rolling over, he saw that it was Calvin next to him. _So it wasn't a dream_, he thought, smiling. Calvin stirred slightly in his sleep, but did not wake up. Emmett watched him, memorizing the lines of his face. "Good morning," he said when Calvin finally awoke.

"Good morning," Calvin replied, yawning.

"We must've had quite a time last night," Emmett commented, looking at his disheveled room. "I can't really remember," Calvin admitted, rubbing his head. "I have a wicked hangover."

"I don't. Strange. How about I go and make us some coffee?"

"That would be nice." Calvin kissed Emmett lightly on the lips.

"You can do better than that!" Emmett insisted.

"Wait until I brush my teeth."

Emmett went downstairs and started to make coffee. His stomach growled. He decided to make a few eggs. Calvin came up behind him and kissed the back of his neck. Emmett spun around to face him and they kissed passionately. "How was that?" Calvin asked, grinning.

"Much better, though I think we should try again once _I've _brushed _my _teeth."

"Sure thing. God that smells good!" Calvin replied.

"Thank you. I've been told that eggs are my specialty."

Debbie came into the kitchen. "Emmett, what the hell smells so good?" she asked, not noticing Calvin right away. "Calvin!"

"Eggs," Emmett replied.

"Hi, Deb." Calvin said, smiling. Debbie's face lit up.

"I see you two have patched things up. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Emmett said.

"That leaves just one question."

"What's that?"

"When's the wedding?"

Emmett turned to Calvin with a quizzical look on his face. "Actually, Deb, we haven't really talked about that yet..."

"As soon as possible," Calvin cut in.

"Two weddings in one year! Almost all of my boys will be married!" Debbie exclaimed.

"Actually, there are going to be three."

"Three weddings?" Deb asked. Who else was getting married?

"Brian and Justin, me and Emmett, and Ted and Blake," Emmett explained.

"Ted and Blake are getting married, too?" Deb scoffed. "Last to fucking know."

"We should have a double wedding, save everyone money," Emmett joked.

"That actually wouldn't be a bad idea," Deb replied.

"What do you think?" Emmett asked Calvin.

"That's fine, as long as we actually get married."

"Oh, you're so sweet!" Emmett gave him a peck on the cheek.

Debbie decided that if Emmett was going to make eggs, she would make sausage and bacon. Calvin made toast and squeezed fresh orange juice. "This is what I call a real breakfast!" Debbie said cheerily.

"It's your day off, Deb. Don't you want to relax a little?" Emmett asked.

"What I want is to have a nice family breakfast, is that so much to ask?" she shot back.

"It's best to just let her have her way," Carl announced, surprising them all.

"Carl! I wasn't expecting you to get up for another half hour," Debbie said.

"The smell of good cooking woke me up."

"Well, now that you're here you can set the table."

Carl did as he was told and by the time he was finished, the food was ready. They all sat down to eat. "Calvin, I didn't know you were going to be here. It's good to see you," Carl said, taking a bite of his eggs.

"Truthfully, neither did I, until yesterday at the wedding."

"I'm glad you two worked things out."

"Me, too." Calvin smiled at Emmett.

"We have more news, Carl," Emmett said, barely containing his joy.

"Oh?"

"We're getting married."

"Congratulations," Carl smiled and looked across the table at Debbie.

"What?" Debbie asked.

"After I proposed to you, you said that you couldn't marry me when your own son couldn't get married."

"Yeah, so?"

"Brian and Justin are married. Emmett and Calvin are getting married. If they can get married, so can we."

"We could have a triple wedding," Emmett suggested. Everyone burst out laughing.

* * *

After catching a few hours of sleep, Brian quietly got up, put some clothes on, and went to get Gus. Michael answered the door. "Hey, Brian. I wasn't expecting to see you so soon. Where's Justin?" he asked.

"Sleeping."

"I told you you'd wear him out eventually."

"We're both worn out, but I wanted to spend some time with Gus."

"Mel and Linz are in the living room. Come in."

"Thanks, Mikey."

"Smart ass."

Following Michael into the house, Brian spotted Gus sitting on the couch next to Lindsay. "Hey, Gus," he said, sitting next to him.

"Daddy!" Gus climbed onto Brian's lap.

"What are you doing out? I thought you and Justin would want to be alone today?" Lindsay asked.

"You didn't overload him, did you?" Melanie joined in.

"Are you jealous Mel? I figured that since you guys will be leaving in a few days, I'd better spend some time with Gus. I won't see him for awhile."

"Gus, do you want to go with Daddy?" Linz asked, already grabbing his coat.

"Yes!" Gus exclaimed, snatching Brian's hand and pulling him towards the door.

"Okay. Do you want to go to the park?" Brian asked.

"Yes!"

"Be good you two," Lindsay said as they walked out the door.

"I'm always good," Brian replied.

"Yeah, right," Melanie muttered.

At the park, Gus went to play on the playground while Brian sat on the park bench keeping a vigil. "Look at me, Daddy!" Gus said as he went down the slide.

"Wow, you're such a big boy." _God, I sound just like Lindsay_. "Gus, come here for a second." Brian patted the spot next to him on the bench. When Gus sat down, Brian said "I want you to know that I love you. I think about you all the time when you're gone. You know that, right?" Gus nodded his head, anxious to go back to the playground. "I know you're too young to really understand what I'm saying, but it's true." Gus stared at Brian, smiling. "Okay, you can go play now." Brian laughed as Gus exuberantly jumped down off the park bench and ran to the playground.

He let Gus play for an hour or so, giving Justin more time to sleep. "Hey, Gus, how about we go home and see Justin?" Brian suggested.

"Yes!" Gus ran up to Brian.

"Okay, let's go."

When they got back to the loft Justin was up –– fully dressed –– cooking. "That smells good," Brian commented, taking Gus's coat.

"Thank you. Hey, Gus!" Justin smiled.

"Hi, Justin." Gus ran up to Justin and threw himself into Justin's arms.

"My son loves you more than he loves me," Brian said sarcastically.

"Of course he does. How long do we have him?"

"As long as we want him."

"I'll set another place at the table, then."

Justin continued to work on dinner while Brian and Gus watched TV. _Children's shows are getting weirder all the time, _Brian thought. Gus seemed to be enjoying _the_ _Teletubies_.

"I know I've said this before, but if Gus keeps watching this, he'll definitely turn out gay. Just look at that purple one: he's got a purse.

"It's a magic bag," Justin corrected him.

"Oh, sorry. A magic bag." He scoffed. "I'm not surprised they stopped making this show."

"The straight parents probably complained enough that they had no choice but to cancel it."

"Straight people are so ridiculous. They act like it's a germ: 'The gay virus is at it again. Get your kids immunized today before they catch...the gay.' What a joke."

"Yeah," Justin agreed, laughing.

"Don't they know that you can't make someone turn gay?"

"You'd think so. Next they'll make Burt and Ernie live in separate apartments because some people might get offended."

"Too bad we couldn't turn some of them. It would serve them right."

Justin finished making dinner and got all three of them a plate. "I hope you like stuffed shells, Gus," he said, setting a plate in front of him.

"Gus loves shells, don't you, Sonny Boy?" Brian cut up the shells for Gus, who nodded his head.

"I hope I got the recipe right. I've never made stuffed shells before," Justin confessed.

"When have you ever cooked anything bad?" Brian asked, taking a bite.

"How is it?" Justin chewed his lip nervously.

"It's..."

"It's okay, you can tell me."

"It's great." Brian laughed.

"You can be such a jerk sometimes, you know that?" He laughed.

"I thought you loved that about me."

"I do," Justin assured him. "How is it, Gus?"

"Good."

Dinner passed by with light conversation; they had to keep it clean for Gus. "I can't believe that in a few weeks we won't be living here anymore," Justin said, looking around the loft.

"Tell me about it. I've lived here for so long that the thought of living anywhere else is mind boggling."

"We'll get used to it. Once we get settled into the new house, it'll feel more like home."

"It'll take more than getting settled in." Brian winked at Justin.

"You can count on that," Justin promised.

"What do you think Gus?" Brian asked.

"I like the apartment."

"Just wait until you see the new house, you're going to have so much fun this summer. You'll forget all about this place."

"Do we have any buyers yet?" Justin asked.

"There are a few people that will be coming in to look at it while we're away. If they make an offer, your mother will notify me and I can accept or decline."

"I'm still surprised that you kept both the loft and the house, you must be paying a fortune in rent and mortgage."

"I can afford it for now. Thankfully, I won't have to pay both for much longer."

"What are you going to do with Babylon?"

"Sell it. I think Ted would do a good job. He's pining for it, I can tell."

Justin cleared the table. "It's a good thing you'll still be coming to Pittsburgh. I'd have to transfer schools otherwise."

"It's only a half hour drive in good traffic. I don't think I could ever leave Pittsburgh for good."

"Me neither. Not unless everyone I loved came with me."

"I can just picture it now: all of us crammed into a big house. I'd be ready to kill Deb after a week or so."

"Deb? I'd be ready to kill my mother! And my sister! We'd never have any privacy, no time to spend alone. It would be insane."

"Good point. It's probably best that we don't do that."

"You and Mel would be at each other's throats constantly." Justin laughed at the thought.

"Munchers and fags should never live together," Brian whispered into Justin's ear.

Brian offered to do the dishes, but Justin insisted that he spend time with Gus. "When I'm done we can go out and get ice cream or something before we take him back to Mel and Linds."

"Too bad we couldn't keep him for the night," Brian commented.

"We could probably fit him in the bed. If not, I could sleep on the couch."

"I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking, I'm offering."

"Sunshine, will I ever stop finding new reasons to love you?"

"I hope not, if you do, I'm screwed."

"You're already screwed." Brian chuckled. "I'll give Lindsay and Melanie a call and see if it's okay."

Lindsay was more than okay with the idea; she was delighted. "I'm so glad! Gus really misses you," she said.

"I'll try not to pervert his mind too much," Brian sarcastically promised.

"Yeah, that would be a good idea. We don't want him getting into trouble at school."

"Talk to you later." Brian hung up just as Justin was finishing the dishes. "Are you ready to go get some ice cream?" he asked Gus.

"Ice cream!" Gus shouted, jumping up and down.

"This is going to be a fun night," Brian muttered. He helped Gus into his coat and then put his own jacket on. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **The newest issue of _Rage_ is released, causing quite a stir among the inhabitants of Liberty Avenue. Brian decides to sell the club. Melanie, Lindsay, and Justin have a serious talk about the future that makes Justin think about a future he had thought impossible.


	19. Dada and Sonny Boy

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Afraid of being a shitty father, Brian went and picked Gus up, taking him out to the park and keeping him overnight at the loft.

Emmett and Calvin got back together and are now engaged.

Carl asked Debbie to marry him again.

* * *

Chapter Eighteen

Michael was delighted when the new _Rage _issue came from the publishers. He anxiously ripped the box open and started to flip through a copy. "How does it look?" Justin asked.

"Amazing!" Michael handed one to Justin to peruse.

"It does look pretty cool."

"Just wait until the line of fans starts to form. I posted on the website that the new issue was being released today."

"We're not going to get mauled by hundreds of adoring fans, are we?" Justin jokingly asked.

"Unfortunately, that would only happen if the film had worked out."

"It's probably best that it didn't. Connor James is nowhere near as hot as Brian."

"Who did they want to play Zephyr?" Michael asked.

"They hadn't officially cast him, but they were talking to Zach Braff's agent."

"Zach Braff! Sure, he's cute and all, but _Rage_ isn't a comedy. I wouldn't have been able to take him seriously."

"Like I said." Justin reminded him, laughing.

"They should've let me cast it: Ashton Kutcher as Rage, Matt Leblanc as Zephyr, and Macaulay Culkin as J.T."

"Seriously? Macaulay Culkin?" Justin burst out into laughter.

Michael flipped the sign on the door from CLOSED to OPEN and before long, customers started to stream in. "Do you have the new _Rage_?" the first customer asked.

"I just got them in," Michael replied, pulling the stack of comics out of the box. "You're all in luck. Justin, can you help me?"

"Sure," Justin said, joining Michael behind the counter.

"Justin? Justin Taylor?" a customer asked.

"Yeah, that's me." Justin smiled.

"_The_ Justin Taylor? The one who draws _Rage_!"

"Yes," Justin replied, blushing slightly.

"It is such a pleasure to meet you! You are my hero! Would you mind signing my copy?"

"Not at all. What's your name?"

"Chris." The kid's face was flushed with excitement.

"Nice to meet you, Chris." Justin pulled a sharpie out of his messenger bag and signed the proffered comic book. "You know, he's Michael Novotny, the writer."

"Oh, my God!"

"Would you like me to sign it, too?" Michael asked.

"Yes! Please." Justin handed the comic to Michael, who signed it.

"You guys are an inspiration to the whole gay community!" Chris said.

"You're too kind, really," Michael insisted.

"No, you are! You saved me. I was having trouble dealing with being gay. My parents are very very religious and I was contemplating suicide when I found the first issue of _Rage_."

"I'm glad that we helped you," Justin said sincerely.

"Where do you get your ideas?"

"Most of them are inspired by real events in our lives."

"Really?"

"Yeah. On the night of my senior prom, I was gay bashed. My...husband..." Justin stopped for a second. "Wow it' s weird saying that. My husband saved me."

"So, he's the inspiration for Rage?"

"Yes."

"Wow, that's awful...the bashing, I mean."

"It took me a while to move on, but it's in the past now."

"I couldn't imagine going through that. I wouldn't be able to put it behind me."

"I had help."

Looking at the time, Chris excused himself. "It was an honor to meet you, Mr. Taylor."

"Justin, please. It was nice to meet you, too, Chris." Justin shook his hand. When Chris was gone, Justin said to Michael, "Can you believe that? Our comic kept him from killing himself; we must be doing something right."

"Tell me about it. It makes you feel good, doesn't it?" Michael replied, helping the next customer.

"Yeah, it does." Justin and Michael were asked to sign the customer's comic book.

Looking outside, Michael noticed that the line went out the door and down the street a bit. "We'd better be prepared for this," he told Justin, opening up the next box full of comics. "Who knows? We might be sold out before lunch!"

"I could sure use the money," Justin admitted. "Working at the diner is good and all, but I still feel bad about Brian paying for the whole trip to Paris, the wedding, and the honeymoon."

"I don't blame you, I'd feel weird, too. Don't worry though, some day when you're a rich artist, you'll more than make up for it."

"I'm glad you have so much confidence in me."

"What? You don't think your art is good?"

"It's not that, it's just...let's be realistic. Do you know how many people there are in the U.S. alone that want to become artists? Kathy Griffin has a better chance of finally making it off of the D-List."

"Brian would love that," Michael joked.

"Michael," Justin reprimanded.

"I'm sorry, you were being serious. Come on, Justin, there may be a lot of wannabe artists, but none of them are as talented as you are."

Justin felt that comment penetrate. "Thanks," was all he could say.

"Anytime...partner."

"Oh, I see. You just want to butter me up so that when I have tons of cash I'll throw some your way," Justin jokingly accused.

"Can you blame a guy for trying?" Michael laughed. "Don't you have a shift at the diner today?"

"Not for another hour. Do you think our adoring fans will let me out of here?"

"Probably not."

"Shit." Justin chewed his lip. He couldn't be late for work.

"Look, we'll just hurry up and get through as many as we possibly can before you have to go and then hopefully you'll be able to squeeze out.

"Good idea, I'll start signing the ones in the box and then hand them up to you to sign."

"See? We've got this covered."

Luckily for Justin, things worked out as planned. The last customer left satisfied right as he had to leave. "I'll call you later and check up on things," he said, grabbing his coat and messenger bag from behind the counter.

"All right. Later."

"Bye."

Justin got to the diner right on time. "Jesus Christ, Sunshine. You're panting like a fucking dog! What happened?" Debbie asked.

"The new issue of _Rage _came out today," he managed.

"And?"

"One of the customers turned out to be my biggest fan and he asked me to sign his book."

"That's wonderful!"

"Yeah, it was. Even after every other customer decided to do the same."

"Were there a lot of customers?"

"Tons. They were lined up down the street. I was afraid I wouldn't get here in time."

"Well, you'd better get used to it, Sunshine. Some day you'll have fans hanging around outside your house taking pictures of you through the windows."

"You mean the paparazzi?"

"Those assholes, too."

"God, I hope not." Justin sighed as he put his stuff behind the counter. "I don't think I could handle that for very long."

"I'll tell you what: I'll take your talent and be famous and you can stay here and practically run the diner. Deal?"

"Deal," Justin replied, laughing.

* * *

Brian had asked Ted to come see him before leaving work for the night. _What could he want?_ Ted wondered nervously. _I've been doing my job, so he has no reason to fire me...unless he's in one of his crabby moods and feels like taking it out on me. _Heart pounding, Ted stepped into Brian's office. "Hi, Bri. You wanted to see me?" he said.

"Ah, Theodore. Take a seat." Brian motioned for Ted to sit down across from him.

"What's up?" Ted asked, trying to sound calm despite the fact that he was nervously fidgeting with his tie.

"Calm down, Theodore."

"I am calm," Ted lied.

"Don't insult my intelligence, I can practically smell your anxiety."

"Fine, I'm nervous," he admitted. "What's up?"

"As you know, Justin and I are going to be moving soon."

"Yeah."

"As much as I'd like to keep Babylon, it wouldn't be ethical."

"Do you want me to put it on the market while you and Justin are in Italy?"

"No."

"Then what are you going to do with it?"

"I've thought long and hard about it and I've decided to that it's yours. If you want it." Brian smirked at the thought.

"I don't know what to say..." Ted laughed in disbelief.

"Don't say anything. Just think about it and get back to me."

"I don't need to think about it. I want it."

"It's yours, then."

"Thank you, Brian."

"There's no need to thank me, Theodore. Just take good care of Babylon." A smile tugged at his lips.

"I will. You know, it's going to weird not seeing you and Justin there anymore."

"Oh, we'll still be there. We just won't be there every night."

"It won't be the same without you." Ted smiled.

"Before you serenade me with an aria, I have to go. Melanie and Lindsay are coming over for dinner. I have to help Justin cook."

"Mel and Linz are leaving tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, tomorrow afternoon." Brian shrugged.

"I'll have to come and say goodbye to them. I haven't seen much of them since they've been in town. Blake and I have been busy with the wedding."

"What wedding?" Brian asked incredulously, raising his eyebrows.

"Our wedding. Blake and I are getting married."

"You, too, Theodore?" Brian grumbled.

"You and Justin got married," Ted reminded him.

"If you want to marry Blake, go right ahead. I could give a shit less, you know that."

"Gee, thanks, Bri."

"What? You didn't think I'd suddenly condone marriage just because Justin and I are married now, did you?" Brian grabbed his belongings and they made their way out of the office.

"Of course not."

"Good. I'll see you later."

"Bye." Ted watched Brian walk off and shook his head. _It's good to know that some things never change._

_

* * *

_

Back home, Justin was starting to cook. Melanie, Lindsay, and Gus were already there. "What are you making?" Lindsay asked.

"Chicken and dumplings. It's really good. My mom used to make it all the time."

"Sounds good." Melanie was helping make the salad.

"Shit," Justin whispered, noticing that he didn't have enough potatoes and needed dumplings.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot some of the ingredients. I knew there was something I was forgetting. It's okay, I'll call Brian and have him pick them up on his way home.

Brian picked up after a few rings. "Yes, Sunshine?" he asked, the smile evident in his voice.

"Are you on your way home?" Justin asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I had a crazy day and forgot to get potatoes and dumplings. Do you think you could stop and get them?"

"Sure. We need some condoms, our supply is getting low."

"Wow. What does that say about us?"

"That we have an extremely healthy sex life?"

"Exactly. I'll see you when you get home."

"Later."

"Bye." Justin hung up, smiling. "He's going to pick the stuff up," he explained to Mel and Linz.

"So, how's the marriage going so far?" Lindsay asked.

"It's great. I can't speak for Brian, but I'm very happy."

"I can speak for Brian and I know that he's just as happy as you are," Lindsay assured him.

"It took us really long time to get here, but we're finally here."

"Who know what will happen next? Maybe you two will start a family."

That caused Justin's heart to skip a beat. "I don't know," he said, grimacing.

"Come on, Justin. You're great with Gus."

"I'm more worried about Brian."

"It takes some getting used to, but he can handle it."

"Have you been talking to Daphne?" Justin peered at Lindsay through narrowed eyes.

"No." She laughed. "Why?"

"She and I had a similar conversation a few weeks ago. She offered to carry the baby."

"That's fantastic! See? It's a sign."

"You'll love it, I promise," Mel added.

"Do you really think Brian would do it?"

"You'll never you till you ask."

"I suppose." Justin thought about it for a few seconds. "I'll talk to him about when we come home from Italy. If he says no then I'll leave it at that."

"Fair enough."

"Did you hear that, Gus? You're going to have a new little brother or sister," Lindsay said.

Before long, Brian walked in the door. "Hey," he said, kissing Justin. "Your potatoes and dumplings."

"Thanks." Justin kissed him back, wrapping his arms around Brian's neck. "Gus has been practically climbing the walls waiting for you."

"Hey, Gus." Brian went and sat next to Gus, giving him a kiss on the forehead.

"Hi, Daddy." Gus sat on Brian's lap and rested his head on his dad's chest. "I want to stay with you and Justin tonight. Can I?"

Brian turned to Lindsay. "It's okay with me, but you'll have to ask your mothers."

Melanie and Lindsay looked at each other and smiled. "It's fine with us."

"Did you hear that Sonny Boy? You're staying with Justin and I tonight." Brian smiled.

"Yay!" Gus threw his arms around Brian.

"I have to go help Justin make dinner Gus, you sit down and watch TV." Brian turned on _Spongebob Squarepants_ and joined Justin by the stove. "How was your day, dear?" he asked.

"Don't even get me started," Justin replied.

"That bad, huh?"

"No. It wasn't bad, but I am exhausted."

"What happened?"

"The new issue of _Rage_ came out today and suddenly Michael's shop was turned into a Borders or something. I don't think my hand has gotten this much of a workout in years."

"Poor baby." Brian massaged Justin's shoulders. "How does that feel?"

"Mmmm good. Suddenly I feel better."

"I have that effect on people."

"You certainly have that effect on me." Justin set down the knife he was holding and kissed Brian. Their kiss intensified.

"Hey you two, save it for the honeymoon," Mel joked, smiling.

* * *

After Melanie and Lindsay left, Brian and Gus went and lay down. Ideally, Justin did not want to spend another night on the sofa. He'd forgotten how uncomfortable it was for extended periods of sleep. Justin realized that he hadn't slept on it since he'd moved in with Brian temporarily after his father had kicked him out of the house. _Thank God Brian let me in the bed._

Unable to sleep, Justin grabbed his pillow and blanket and quietly got into bed with Brian and Gus. Gus was sleeping, but Brian was wide awake. Neither one said anything, but then again, they didn't need to. Instead, they lay facing one another, staring into each others' eyes. Brian ran his hand up and down Justin's arm, smiling slightly.

Eventually, Brian fell asleep, but Justin couldn't stop thinking about the conversation he'd had with Melanie and Lindsay. _Maybe Daphne was right. If I ask Brian, he'd probably say yes. But if he didn't, could I live with that? Do I really want a child? Is it fair to bring a child into this world with the way things are going these days?_ Justin's mind raced with questions. Sighing, he got out of bed and went to the window, looking out at the city.

He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't hear Brian come up behind him. "What are you doing?" Brian whispered, rubbing his head.

"Nothing. Just thinking," Justin admitted.

"About what? It's three in the morning."

"Forget it. It's nothing."

"Then come back to bed." Brian led Justin to the bed and then they got under the blankets.

"I'm going to miss Gus. It was nice having him here," Justin said.

"Me, too." _If he likes having Gus around so much, surely he'll be okay with another kid, won't he? _After what felt like an eternity, Justin finally fell asleep.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **After talking with Mel and Linz about starting a family, Justin begins to wonder whether or not he should broach the subject with Brian. They take him back to Michael and Ben's where Melanie and Lindsay are waiting to head back home to Toronto. Ted and Blake spend a nice quiet evening together.


	20. Goodbye Lesbians, Hello Baby

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Melanie and Lindsay talked to Justin about starting a family. Justin decided that he did want a baby with Brian, but was afraid to bring it up.

The new issue of _Rage_ came out, causing all of the inhabitants of Liberty Avenue to flock to Michael's comic shop, hoping to get an autograph.

Brian decided to get rid of Babylon, selling it to Ted.

* * *

Chapter Nineteen

Gus woke up early. Brian got up with him and let Justin sleep. _We're making a habit of this_, he thought. "Are you hungry, Gus?" he asked. Gus nodded, not fully awake. Deciding to make a real breakfast, Brian said, "Pay close attention, now. This is one of the few times that you will see me in the kitchen." Gus did as he was told and watched Brian cook in rapt fascination.

When the food was ready, Brian set a plate out for Gus, Justin, and himself. "Sit down and eat. I'll be right back." He quietly went into the bedroom and lay down beside Justin, kissing the back of his neck. "Good morning," he whispered when Justin opened his eyes.

"Good morning. Where's Gus?" Justin looked around, his brows knit together.

"Eating. I made us breakfast."

"_You _made breakfast? Wow. You know, in all these years, I've hardly ever seen you in the kitchen."

"Why would I bother when I have you? You actually enjoy cooking." Brian grinned crookedly.

"You're so sweet."

"I've never been called that before."

"Well now you have. That's one more thing you can cross of your 'to do' list."

"My life is complete. Come on, the food's getting cold."

As he was eating, Brian noticed that Justin seemed distracted; his brow was furrowed and he was avoiding eye contact. "Is your food okay?" he asked.

"What?" Justin asked, looking up.

"I asked if your food was okay."

"It's really good. You should cook more often."

"Maybe I will...if you tell me what's bothering you."

"I'm fine." Justin picked at his eggs with his fork, once more avoiding eye contact.

Brian considered pursuing it further, but for Gus's sake, he let the matter drop for the time being. "Have you started packing yet?"

"A little. We're not leaving for a couple of days so I figured, I'd wait a day or two." Justin smiled. "You know I save everything until the last minute."

"There's nothing wrong with that." Brian couldn't resist smiling back.

"I'm going to miss you, Gus," Justin said, stroking Gus's hair. "I really loved having you here. Make sure you come back and see us again soon."

Gus nodded his head. "I'm done," he said, showing his empty plate to Brian.

"Good boy, Gus. You ate all of your food, that way you can grow up to be big and strong just like me." Gus laughed when Brian flexed his muscles.

"What time do we have to take him back?" Justin asked.

"In about an hour or so. Mel and Linz want to leave around noon 'in case of bad traffic'. Why they didn't just fly here is beyond me."

"It certainly would've saved them money on gas. Maybe they couldn't afford to fly."

"They know that all they need to do is ask and I'll give them the money."

"They probably didn't want to mooch off of you."

"I wouldn't consider it mooching. I'd consider it helping out a friend."

"You and I know that, but imagine how uncomfortable that would make them feel? Would you want to rely on Mel and Linz to pay for our trip to Italy?"

"Good point, Sunshine. You know, you're getting too smart for your own good. College must agree with you."

"It does."

"You know what else will agree with you?"

"What?"

"Italy."

"Thank God it's a weekend trip; I would feel stupid if I had to skip my last week of auditing. Who knows? They might punish me for it and not let me attend in the fall."

"That's one thing I don't miss about college," Brian admitted.

"How did you fit it all in? Between working, college, and going to Babylon, you must've been exhausted."

"Haven't you figured it out by now? I'm like the Energizer Bunny; I just keep going and going." That got a laugh out of Justin. _I'm not too late, then_, Brian thought.

* * *

After they had both showered, Brian and Justin brought Gus over to Michael's house. Melanie and Lindsay had already packed up the car and were standing outside surrounded by Debbie, Michael, Ben, Ted, and Emmett. "About time you two got here," Melanie said. "We thought we were going to have to hunt you down."

"Sorry we're late. I overslept," Justin explained.

"Did you keep him up all night?" Mel asked Brian.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Brian replied, smirking.

"Cut it out you two," Lindsay chided. She turned back to her friends, suddenly serious. "You know, I thought it would be easier to leave this time, but it isn't." Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Come here." Deb hugged Lindsay and then kissed her on the cheek. "Take care of yourselves, you hear? The last thing you want is me showing up on your doorstep."

"We'll keep that in mind Deb," Mel replied, hugging her. She turned to Brian. "I would hug you, but..."

"Yeah," Brian replied nodding. "Too weird." Mel clapped him on the arm.

Justin and Lindsay hugged. "Promise me you'll keep me updated on your art," Lindsay insisted. "And the other thing." She winked at Justin.

"I promise. And you promise to come back and see us soon, okay?"

"Deal." Lindsay laughed. She turned to Brian. "I guess this is goodbye. Again."

"Ah, Wendy, it'll never be goodbye. You'll be back."

"You're right. When did you get so wise?" They both turned to look at Justin. "Take good care of him."

"I will." Brian kissed Lindsay and then swooped Gus up into his arms. "Be good, Sonny Boy." He kissed Gus's forehead and then put him into the car, strapping him into his car seat.

"Bye, Gus." Justin leaned in and ruffled Gus's hair.

Michael was holding his daughter. "I'll miss you, honeybun." he whispered, swallowing past the lump in his throat. Ben put his hand on Michael's shoulder. Mel gave both Michael and Ben a quick hug before taking JR and putting her in the car.

"All set?" she asked Lindsay.

"Yeah." Lindsay nodded and hugged Ted and Emmett before getting in the car.

"It was good to see you guys," Ted said.

"Keep in touch."

"We will," Emmett assured Lindsay, giving her a hug. "Bye now."

"Bye."

Melanie got into the car. She started it and pulled up to the end of the driveway. She stopped to let a car pass. With one last glance back at their family and friends, they drove off. "Bye," Deb called after them, walking to the end of the driveway and waving.

"I miss Jenny Rebecca," Michael said to Ben. "I got used to having her here."

"Don't get me started," Debbie said. "It kills me to not be able to see them every day."

Brian and Justin exchanged a guilty look.

Deb turned to Ted. "What's this I hear about you and Blake getting married?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"We are," Ted confirmed, beaming.

"And why the fuck am I the last to know?" Ted swallowed nervously and looked to his friends for support; he was met with laughter.

* * *

Justin seemed more lively on the drive back to the loft. "I hate goodbyes," he admitted. "They're always so sad."

"I will admit that it was hard saying goodbye to Gus," Brian replied. "As for Lindsay and Melanie, I'll miss them, but I'll survive."

"You always do."

"Melanie once called me Mr. Teflon; shit never sticks to me."

"She was right." Justin laughed. "It's a good thing I did, though."

When they got back to the loft, Justin felt the emptiness that now hung in air with Gus gone. Brian could tell by the way that Justin was fidgeting with his shirt collar that whatever had been bothering him before was still bothering him. "Justin," he said, sitting down on the couch.

"What?" Justin replied.

"I can tell that something's bothering you."

"It's nothing."

"You haven't been acting like yourself. What happened to you yesterday?"

Justin sighed. _Here goes, _he thought. "Nothing is bothering me. I'm just thinking about something."

"Well whatever it is must be important. You've been walking around like a zombie since dinner last night."

"I'm fine," Justin assured him.

"Look, whatever it is, you can tell me."

"I don't know..." Justin didn't think that it was such a good idea to broach the subject yet.

"Please?" Justin could see that there was no way he was going to get out of it.

"Okay." He took a deep breath to steady himself and sat down next to Brian, chewing on his lip. "I was going to wait until we came back from Italy to talk to you about this, but..." he hesitated.

"What?" Brian pressed.

Justin opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to find the right words. "I know that this is a lot to ask you, and if you don't want to just say so, okay? I promise I'll drop the subject and I won't hold it against you."

"What is this, a trial?"

"Brian..."

"Yes?"

"I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I always wanted to get married; we did that and I'm happy, really I am."

"But...?" Brian's heart began to pound. He scratched his head nervously.

"I want more."

"Like other people?" Brian chuckled sarcastically. After all the nagging about monogamy...

"No!"

"Then what?" He sighed. "Spit it out, Sunshine."

"It started when I saw Daphne a few weeks ago and then I kind of forgot about it until last night. Having Gus around made me realize that I want a child. I want...a family."

Brian didn't say anything. He continued to look at Justin, unblinking. "Well?" Justin asked, blushing self consciously.

"Is that really what you want?"

"Yes," Justin replied without a hesitation. _Oh God, _he thought, his stomach cramping up.

"Let's do it."

Justin blinked in disbelief. _Did I just hear what I thought I heard?_ "I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?"

"I said let's do it. Does my answer somehow confuse you?" Brian raised his eyebrows.

"No. I just can't believe..."

"Why not? Sunshine, remember when I took you to the new house for the first time?"

"Yeah. How could I forget?"

"I said that I would do whatever it takes to make you happy; I meant it." Brian reached out and stroked Justin's cheek. "If this will make you happy, then it's fine with me."

"Thank you!" Justin threw himself at Brian, his happiness radiating from his body. He kissed Brian repeatedly. "I love you so much!"

"I just have one question."

"What?" Justin pulled back.

"Who's going to carry the baby?"

"Daphne said she'd do it."

"Daphne?"

"Do you want someone else?"

"No. I just can't picture Daphne pregnant."

"To be honest, neither can I." They both laughed.

"How about we go and see the house tomorrow? I haven't been there in awhile and we should probably start moving some of our stuff. The loft is back on the market and I'd like to be out of here as soon as possible."

"Sure. I've forgotten what it looks like. I think it's time you refreshed my memory."

"Okay, but first how about we go relax?" Brian nodded toward the bedroom. They hadn't made love since their wedding night and Brian was itching for some action.

Justin grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

That night, Ted made a celebratory dinner. "What's all this?" Blake asked when he walked in the door.

"I got it," Ted replied, kissing Blake. "Can you believe it?"

"Got what?"

"Babylon. Yesterday, Brian called me into his office and told me that if I want it, it's mine."

"That's great!" Blake smiled proudly. "I knew you could do it."

"Thank you." Ted bowed.

"Why didn't you tell me last night? We could've done something."

"You were busy at work. It's fine," Ted assured him.

"Does this mean that I can get in for free now?" Blake joked.

"Of course. You also get free drinks."

Blake sat down at the table. "What's for dinner?" he asked, mouth watering from the delicious smells wafting up from the table.

"Chicken parmesan. I used Deb's recipe, so it should be good."

"Judging from the smell, it will be."

They began to eat. "This is amazing!" Blake enthused.

"You know that I don't like to toot my own horn, but I have to agree with you." Ted laughed jovially. "So, how was your day?"

"I've had better," Blake confessed.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. Do you remember that Valerie that I told you about?"

"Yeah, one of your twelve steppers who was overcoming a cocaine addiction, right?"

"Yeah. Well, she started using again. I just...feel like I failed her." Blake shook his head.

"You didn't fail her," Ted said. "You did your best. Sometimes the person doesn't want to get clean."

"I suppose you're right." Blake relented, though he didn't fully believe it. "Enough about my day. Did Melanie and Lindsay get off okay?"

"Yeah. It was sad to see them go, but..." Ted shrugged. "At least I've got you to console me."

"Have you ever thought about leaving?"

"Pittsburgh? No. I've lived here all my life. Why?"

"I was just curious. When I start to get upset about how we're treated here, I think about the poor people that were born centuries ago that were killed because of their sexual orientation. It makes me thankful for the simple things."

"I guess. We can't be executed, but people still manage to get their message across; blowing us up, bashing us, denying us simple rights. The list goes on."

"Do you think it'll ever get better?"

"I used to. Now I don't know," Ted confessed, frowning. "I don't know how Ben stays so positive all the time."

"Because he's got something worth looking forward to. He and Michael have a family together and you know that if gay marriage is ever made legal here, they'll be one of the first couples in line to make it official."

"So will we." Ted smiled. "You should've heard Deb chewing me out this morning." He laughed at the recollection.

"What for?"

"For not telling her right away that we're engaged. She found out through Emmett and boy, was she pissed!"

"I'd have loved to see that! Debbie is hilarious. I wish my mom was like her."

"Me, too. Though my mom isn't that bad. At least she's coming to wedding."

"She's coming?" Blake had never met Ted's mother, and he hardly ever mentioned her.

"Yes," was all Ted said, sighing.

"My parents aren't coming," Blake replied.

"Did you invite them?"

"No, and I don't plan to. They kicked me out they told me never to come back. It's their loss."

"We might end up with less people than Brian and Justin had at their wedding." Ted laughed. "But who cares? As long as we're together, that's what really matters.."

"I couldn't agree more."

After cleaning up, Ted and Blake fell asleep together on the couch wrapped in each other's arms.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin journey to West Virginia to see the new house, beginning to move some of their things in. Brian asks Emmett to plan a party to celebrate the new success of _Rage._


	21. Britin Manor

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **After a tearful goodbye, Melanie and Lindsay headed back home.

Sensing that something was wrong, Brian confronted Justin. Justin told Brian about his desire to have a baby and shockingly, Brian agreed to go through with it.

Ted made a romantic dinner for Blake and they talked about their upcoming wedding. Blake admitted that his family disowned him and that they would not be attending the wedding.

* * *

Chapter Twenty

Justin had forgotten how quick the drive to West Virginia went by. As they pulled up the long driveway, Justin's breath caught in his chest. _This place is even more gorgeous that I remember,_ he thought, mouth agape.

"Is it everything you remembered?" Brian asked, unlocking the door.

"And more," Justin replied as he followed Brian in. "This place could put Lara Croft to shame."

"Who?"

"Lara Croft. _Tomb Raider_?"

"Oh yeah. That game you used to like to play."

Justin's eyes scanned the room. "I think the family portrait would look good right there." He pointed to the back wall of the foyer. "What do you think?"

"It's as good as a place as any."

They went back out to the car and carried in the boxes they had brought from the loft; unimportant knick-knacks, extra clothing, Justin's art supplies, and some books. "We're not going to move all of the stuff ourselves, are we?" Justin asked, trying to imagine the two of them lugging the bed and furniture upstairs to the bedroom. He laughed quietly.

"Of course not. I'll pay someone else to do it. We can just sit back and check them out."

"I like your line of thinking." Justin slipped his arm around Brian's waist.

"Plus, we have to rent a U-Haul or something, there is no way we'd fit anything in the car."

"Good point."

Justin walked into one of the spacious rooms and looked around. "This one can be your studio," Brian said, nibbling his ear. "It's one of the biggest rooms on this floor. In the winter you can light a fire in the fireplace to keep you warm and in the summer you can open the windows to keep cool. It's perfect."

"I'll say," Justin agreed, spinning around to face Brian. "Where's you office going to be?"

"Next door. Why?"

"I've never told anybody this, but when I'm painting I get incredibly horny."

Brian grinned, putting his hands on Justin's shoulders. "That's good because working makes me horny." They shared a quick kiss.

"Show me the upstairs?" Justin asked, walking back into the foyer.

"Hold on, let's finish the main floor first," Brian insisted, leading Justin into the kitchen and dining room.

"Wow, it's bigger than the loft!" Justin put his hands to his mouth.

"This way when we have company over for dinner we can all sit at the same table."

Justin looked out the window over the sink; outside the window was the swimming pool. _I can't wait to open that baby up for the summer_, he thought. Brian opened the French doors and they walked past the pool to the tennis court and stables. "You don't even play tennis," Justin said, pointing to the tennis court.

"I used to play back in high school. I was pretty good," Brian admitted, puffing out his chest. "I was better at soccer, though."

"That was almost twenty years ago," Justin reminded him. When Brian playfully swung at him, Justin ducked. "Okay, you've still got it!"

"Thank you. We'll have to get some horses." He nodded toward the stables. "Have you ever ridden a horse?"

"Not really."

"Not really? It's a yes or no question, Sunshine," Brian teased.

"When I was about four, I rode a pony. I remember being so scared that I was going to fall." Justin laughed at the memory. "What about you? I can't exactly picture you on horseback."

"No, but it can't be that hard." They exchanged looks. "Okay, it'll take some practice but we'll manage."

They went back into the house and looked at the second floor. There were three bedrooms in that wing. "This one is ours." Brian pointed to the biggest of the three rooms; it had a connected bathroom and big walk-in closet. "This one," he nodded toward the room at the end of the hall, "will be Gus's when he's here for the summer." The bedroom in the middle was the same size as Gus's. "This one can be the nursery." Justin's heart skipped a beat in excitement.

"Thank God Proposition Fourteen didn't pass," Justin said meaningfully.

"They won't give up." The smile vanished from Brian's face. "They'll never give up. The breeders love to hate us." That struck a chord for Justin.

He took a breath, shaking his head sadly. "You know, sometimes I think that Melanie and Lindsay had the right idea; that it would be better if all of us packed up and moved to Canada. At least there we'd be accepted and have the same rights as everybody else; we wouldn't be treated like second class citizens. You'd think that people would find something more important to knit pick about, but for some reason they just can't get over homosexuality. Why do straight people care if we get married? It doesn't affect them. How can two people getting married, no matter their gender, ruin the sanctity of marriage? I thought marriage was supposed to be an expression of love. What about people like Elizabeth Taylor who've been married a dozen times? Doesn't that ruin the sanctity of marriage?" Justin was pacing the hallway, his face flushed with indignation.

Brian exhaled loudly. "I don't understand it anymore than you do. Queers and dykes work and pay taxes just like everybody else."

"Any why can't we have families? What is the worst thing we'd do the children? Do they think we'll rape them? As long as the kid is loved and taken care of, that is all that should matter. Look at Gus and Jenny; can you think of two parents more loving and caring than Melanie and Lindsay? At least they'll teach their kids love and compassion, unlike the rest of the parents today who teach their children that someone who's different deserves to be picked on and abused. Just like I was." The broken memory of the night he was bashed flashed through his mind. Tears filled his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.

Brian wrapped his arms around Justin. "Hey, calm down," he whispered. "Everything's going to be okay."

"Will it?" Justin pulled himself together, taking several deep breaths. "I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me." Justin stared at his feet, too embarrassed to look Brian in the eye.

"I do," Brian replied. "You're worried about our kids; who can blame you for that? All I can do is promise you that I won't let anything happen to you, Gus, or Brian Jr."

Justin laughed. "Brian Jr.? Seriously, that's the best you can come up with?"

"Come on, it's a good name." He smiled. "Would you prefer Justin Jr.?"

"Whatever you say, Brian Sr."

"Okay, forget it. I am not going to be called Brian Sr., it makes me sound...old." Brian scrunched his face up in disgust.

"You'll never be old," Justin promised him. "I don't know about you, but I am starving. What do you say we go get something to eat?"

"Good idea. We can save the other wing for next time, not that there's much to see there anyway."

Back on the main floor again, Justin opened a door that led into a good sized room. "You forgot to show me this one," he said.

"That's going to be the gym. I figured you wouldn't care."

"I could be talked into joining you...for the right price."

"We're both going to need it the way you cook."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Justin put his hands on his hips. "I thought you liked my cooking."

"I do, that's the problem. I like it so much that I eat more than I normally would." He rubbed his stomach. "I have to keep this in tip top shape."

"I think you'd be sexy even if you weighed three hundred pounds."

"Shut up." Brian grabbed the back of Justin's shirt and pulled him out of the room.

On their way out, Justin glanced back one last time before Brian shut and locked the front door. _I am going to love it here!_

_

* * *

_

"He's going to hate it there!" Debbie exclaimed. Michael had just told her where Brian and Justin were.

"Ma, calm down," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Don't tell me to calm down, damn it! This is fucking huge!" Michael blushed with embarrassment; everyone in the diner was staring at him and Deb.

"Will you please keep it down, you're embarrassing me!" he hissed.

"Fine," Deb sighed and sat down. "So they're moving to West Virginia, huh?"

"Yeah," Michael replied. "Brian never sold the house and they've decided to move there. It isn't that big a deal."

"Not that big a deal? Michael, are you hearing yourself? This is pretty fucking big deal!"

"Actually, I thought the wedding was a bigger deal."

"Brian can't leave Pittsburgh, he has too much history here."

"It isn't like we won't see them again. He and Justin will be back practically every day," Michael pointed out, hoping to assuage his overly dramatic mother.

"You're right. I'm happy for them. It's just that...Melanie and Lindsay left, which was heart breaking, and if I lost Brian and Sunshine, I don't know what I'd do."

"Gee thanks, Ma. You didn't get this upset when I was going to move to Oregon with David!"

"Are you implying something?" Debbie asked, fixing Michael with a threatening look.

"No, I'm coming right out and saying it," Michael replied irritably.

"What? Do you think I didn't care!"

"Did you?"

"Of course I did! How could you even ask me that?"

"You didn't try to stop me from going across the country, yet you freak out about Brian and Justin moving half an hour away. How am I supposed to feel!"

Deb guiltily avoided eye contact. "Oh, Michael, I'm sorry. I didn't try to stop you from moving to Oregon because I wanted you to be happy...and if that meant having you live across the country, than I was willing to let you go." Debbie wiped a tear from her cheek. "Besides, I knew you'd be back."

"So will they. They both have too much history here." Michael hugged Deb. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Don't be. It was my fault."

Emmett and Ted approached the table cautiously. "Did we come at a bad time?" Emmett asked.

"No. We were just having a mother-son moment. What can I get you?" Debbie stood and pulled out her pad of paper.

"Just some tea for me, thanks," Emmett replied, sitting down across from Michael.

"I'll have the BLT special and some water, please," Ted said, joining Emmett at the table.

Debbie walked away and Emmett leaned in. "What was all that about?" he asked.

"She was getting herself all worked up about Brian and Justin leaving," Michael replied, rolling his eyes. "I hate when she gets like this."

"Oh come on, she isn't that bad!"

"Sometimes I wonder how you live with her and still stay sane," Michael remarked.

"You don't know just how lucky you are, do you?" Emmett asked, smiled in disbelief. "I would kill for a mother like Deb –– she's kind, caring, accepting, funny. My mom was most of those things, but she never quite accepted me. How would you like to have a mother like that?"

"Or Brian's?" Ted added.

"You guys are right, I shouldn't be so hard on her, but she drives me nuts!"

"All mothers do, it's there job," Ted assured him.

Debbie brought Emmett and Ted their beverages. "What are you two up to today?" she asked.

"We're wedding planning," Emmett replied. "I'm the wedding planner, just like Jennifer Lopez, only more flamboyant."

"Good for you, sweetie. Did you guys decide on a date yet?"

"Blake and I were thinking maybe the middle of the month, if that's okay with you and Blake, Em," Ted said.

"That's fine with me, summer colors make me look my best. I'm sure Calvin won't mind."

"You guys are going to love it, I promise," Michael insisted. "I've never been so happy in my whole life."

"That's because you were never as hot as me," Brian said suddenly, causing them all to jump out of their seats.

"Stop doing that!" Michael exclaimed, breathing heavily. "Can't you ever come in here without nearly giving me a damn heart attack!"

"Calm down, Mikey. Stop being such a pussy." He gave Michael a peck on the cheek.

"How was West Virginia?" Michael asked, grudgingly.

"It was...fun, wouldn't you say, Sunshine?"

"Yeah. Definitely." Justin winked at Brian.

"Let me guess, you two had sex in every room of the new house, right?"

"No. We're saving that for our first night there," Brian replied.

"Remind me not to come and visit until the house has been scrubbed from top to bottom," Emmett said, frowning.

Debbie came back with Ted's food. "Oh, how nice of you to stop by and visit," she said snidely to Brian and Justin.

"I'm sorry, Deb, did I miss something?" Brian shot back with equal venom. Justin looked at Michael quizzically; Michael shook his head.

"No, you didn't miss anything, but you're going to miss my foot up your ass!" She started to laugh. "I'm just kidding. So, when do we all get to come see your new place?"

Brian and Justin exchanged looks. "We're not moving in until next week at the earliest," Justin answered. "We'll let you know."

"I'm so excited!"

The cook came over to the table, nervously chewing his lip. "Deb? There seems to be something...off about the mayonnaise," he said, holding out the jar.

"Let me try it." Deb dipped a finger into the jar and extracted a glob. She put her nail in her mouth and a second later, spit it out into a napkin. "Jesus Christ! Eugh, that tastes like..." She waved her hand, trying to find the right word.

"Jizz?" Brian offered.

"Infected jizz," Debbie decided. Brian, Justin, Michael, Emmett, and Ted all groaned. "It does!" she insisted, offering the jar to them all.

"Deb, how exactly do you know what infected jizz tastes like?" Brian asked, chuckling.

"Well I don't know e_xactly_ what infected jizz tastes like, but I know what normal jizz tastes like; I just used my imagination."

"Ma, stop," Michael begged, disgusted.

"What? We're all adults here!"

"How would you like it if I described to you what Ben's ass tastes like!" Brian burst out laughing.

"I wouldn't care!"

"She's right," Brian said, laughing so hard that he could barely breathe.

"Remember that time I walked in on you and Brian touching each other when you were teenagers?"

"I try to forget that as best I can," Michael murmured, his face glowing beet red.

"Oh come on, Mikey, it was good," Brian continued, playfully stroking Michael's thigh.

"Cut it out!" Michael stifled his laughter with his hand. "That tickles!"

"I have to go sort out this mess, I'll be right back," Deb said, grabbing the mayonnaise.

"Thank God I don't put mayonnaise on my BLT," Ted mumbled.

Emmett opened his planner book. "Okay, where were we?" he asked.

"What the fuck is that?" Brian asked.

"It's my planner book. I'm planning the weddings," Emmett replied.

"And when will the weddings be?"

"We're thinking a few weeks from now."

"Summertime for fags. How quaint," Brian replied sarcastically. Justin was the only one that laughed. "That was a joke guys."

"We know," Michael replied. "You can't pull that with us anymore. You're a married man now, Mr. Kinney."

"So? I can still poke fun at other people for getting married."

"Poke fun all you want, just don't forget how happy you are."

Debbie came back looking harried. "Do you two want anything?" she asked Brian and Justin.

"No, thanks. I think I lost my appetite. Infected jizz doesn't exactly sound appetizing," Brian replied, scowling.

"You don't have to order something with mayonnaise. Have a salad, have a fucking grilled cheese sandwich, have something!"

"Actually that sounds good. I'll have one, Deb," Justin said, smirking at Brian.

"I'll have one, too," Brian relented with a sigh.

"Two grilled cheese sandwiches coming up." Debbie went back to the kitchen.

Ted and Emmett went back to planning their nuptials while Brian, Justin, and Michael moved to another table where they could talk without interrupting. "So, have you sold out of _Rage_ yet?" Justin asked.

"Actually, we sold out the first day," Michael replied.

"What!" Justin's mouth dropped open. "Are you serious?"

"I am dead serious. I've already ordered more. We are going to be rich!" Michael and Justin gave each other high fives.

"We should celebrate," Brian said. "At Babylon."

"Another _Rage _party?" Michael asked.

Justin suddenly grew serious and cast his eyes downward. The last time that Brian had thrown a _Rage_ party at Babylon, Justin had chosen Ethan over Brian; one of the biggest mistakes of his life. Brian looked over and noticed that once again Justin looked upset. "What's the matter, Sunshine? Don't you like Babylon anymore?" he asked.

"It's not that, it's just...I was remembering last time," he admitted, looking at Michael rather than Brian.

Brian was silent for a moment. "Forget it, that was years ago."

"Yeah." Michael agreed, forcing himself to smile.

"You're right. Let's do it." Despite his cheery façade, Justin was still upset.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **The night before they are to leave for their honeymoon in Italy, Brian and Justin have Jennifer over for dinner, where Justin shares the good news. But will Brian be the biological father, or is it Justin's turn?


	22. Family Dinner

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin began moving things into the new house.

Emmett started to plan the double wedding and a party for _Rage_ at Babylon.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One

"These are genuine hardwood floors," Jennifer said, leading her client through Brian's loft. "Brian has exceptional taste."

"Yes, he does. This place is amazing," the man agreed, eyes open wide in amazement. "I've always wanted to live in a loft."

"They are nice," Jennifer concurred

"You're son-in-law must be rich! This furniture is Italian! What did you say he does again?"

"He owns his own advertising agency, Kinnetik. Maybe you've heard of it?"

"Yeah, sure. I have to tell you, I must've chosen the wrong career." The man laughed.

With one last look around the apartment, the man headed for the door. "Thanks for showing it to me. I'll get back to you," he promised, shaking Jennifer's hand before leaving.

Jennifer grabbed her coat and briefcase from the table and was just about to leave when she heard the sound of the elevator ascending. A few seconds later, Brian stepped out. "Jennifer," he said by way of greeting.

"Hi, Brian. The man that just looked at the place loved it, I think he might make you an offer."

"Great," Brian replied, opening the door. "The sooner we're out of here, the better."

"You know, he acted like he'd never been here before. I think he's the first man that's come in to look that _hasn't_ been already here." Jennifer laughed. Brian's lips twitched up into a tight smile. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me."

"No, it's the truth. This place has seen plenty of action." Brian looked around the loft, remembering the history it held. "Still, it's time to let it go."

An awkward silence descended upon the room. Brian poured himself a drink. "Want one?" he asked.

"No, thank you."

"So, how are things with...Tucker?" Brian sat down at the table and loosened his tie.

"Great. Everything's great. I am so glad that Justin didn't pick a fight with him at your wedding." Jennifer put her head in her hands. "I had visions of the two of them fighting..."

"It doesn't bother him that much anymore." The silence took over again for a few seconds.

Jennifer sat down at the table, setting her bags on the floor. "I can't wait to see the new house. Justin hasn't stopped talking about it since last week."

"He loves it there. It's everything he's ever dreamed of." Brian smiled.

"Where is he by the way?" Jennifer asked. " I know you guys are leaving in the morning for your honeymoon and I wanted to see him."

"He'll be here soon. His shift at the diner's almost done. Actually, I need to go pick him up."

"Maybe I should've gotten him a car as a wedding present," Jennifer joked.

"I don't mind. It gives me more time with him." His eyes shone with love.

"Do you mind if I tag along? I promise I won't cramp your style."

Brian chuckled. "No, but you'll have to take your car, I can't fit all three of us in mine."

"Oh right. We could take my car," Jennifer offered, pulling out her car keys.

"Whatever you say, Mother Taylor."

When they got to the diner, Brian and Jennifer got out of the car and went in. Justin had his back to them, gathering plates. When he turned around, a smile lit up his whole face. "Surprise," Brian said, giving Justin a quick kiss.

"Hi, honey," Jennifer hugged Justin.

"Mom, I wasn't expecting you," Justin admitted.

"There was a showing at the loft and Brian and I got talking. One thing led to another," she explained.

"I'm glad you're here. Brian and I have something we want to tell you," Justin couldn't contain his grin.

Jennifer looked at Brian, her mind racing. _Whatever it is, it's good news or else Justin wouldn't be smiling. What could it be_? "What is it, honey?"

"We'll tell you in the car," Brian replied, opening the door for Jennifer and Justin.

"Where's your car?" Justin asked Brian, looking around for it.

"It's at home. We took your mom's car."

"Oh."

They all climbed in and Jennifer started the car. "Okay, the suspense is killing me, what's this 'something' that you have to tell me?" Brian and Justin smiling at each other.

"You tell her," Brian said with a sweep of his hand.

"You're going to be a Grandma!" Justin said, grinning widely.

Jennifer's mouth dropped open. "I'm going to be a what?"

"A Grandma," Justin repeated.

"How?"

"Brian and I decided to have a baby; Daphne's going to carry it for us. Well, she mentioned that she'd be willing to. We'll talk to her after we get home from the trip."

"Honey, that's fantastic. I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks, Mom."

"Which one of you is going to...well...going to...you know..." Jennifer blushed.

"Donate sperm?" Brian answered for her.

"Thank you, Brian. Yes."

Justin chewed his lip thoughtfully. "Actually, we haven't decided yet. I just automatically assumed Brian would."

"I assumed you would," Brian admitted, shrugging. "I will if you want me to."

"That's fine, unless you want me to."

"You don't have to decide right now," Jennifer reminded them. "You've got the weekend to decide."

"You're right," Justin said, laughing.

"No matter who the biological father is, the baby will still be my grandchild."

When they got back to the loft, Brian invited Jennifer up for dinner. "Sunshine here makes enough for four," he explained.

"Yeah, Mom, you've never had dinner with us," Justin continued.

"I wouldn't want to impose..." Jennifer began.

"Please?" Justin begged, pushing out his lower lip.

"Fine, I'll stay for dinner," Jennifer gave up. "On one condition."

"What?"

"I get to help you cook." Jennifer smiled.

"You're on," Justin replied, putting his arm around her.

"What is for dinner?" Brian asked, unlocking the door.

"We'll figure something out," Justin promised, pulling out some crockery. "Relax. Take a shower, read a book; Mom and I have it covered."

"Whatever you say," Brian shrugged his shoulders and disappeared into the bedroom.

After a long steamy shower, Brian could smell the delicious scent of the food cooking. He wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped down into the main room. "Is dinner ready?" he asked.

"Not yet, we have another twenty minutes," Justin replied, eyes darting to Brian's shiny, wet chest.

Jennifer turned around and saw Brian; her face immediately turned red. "I...uh..." she fumbled for words.

"I'll be right out," Brian promised smiling at Justin before going back into the bathroom to shave.

"Mom, it wasn't like he came out her naked!" Justin exclaimed, laughing.

"I know. It's just...Weird that I'm somewhat attracted to my son-in-law," Jennifer admitted, turning her back on Justin to avoid the embarrassment.

"What!" Justin laughed. "Mom, trust me. Everybody's _somewhat _attracted to Brian. Join the club."

Brian came back out –– fully dressed –– and began setting the table. "Are you two talking about me?" he asked.

"No!" Jennifer exclaimed, blushing an even deeper shade of red.

"Why would we be talking about you?" Justin asked more suavely.

"I thought I heard my name,"

"That's just your narcissism in action," Justin assured him, smirking.

"We'll continue this conversation later," Brian said with a wink.

Jennifer kept her head down, pretending to be engrossed in the cookbook she was flipping through.

"Fascinating stuff isn't it, Mom?" Justin asked, snickering.

"Completely," Jennifer replied quickly. The oven dinged and she hurriedly got up and pulled out the cookie sheet. "Thank God they didn't burn," she mumbled, putting the dinner rolls onto a plate and setting it in the center of the table.

"The spaghetti's done," Justin announced as he stirred the contents of the pan one more time.

Brian handed Justin three bowls and when they were filled, he carried them back to the table. "What would you like to drink, Jennifer?" he asked, pouring himself and Justin some Merlot.

"Water's fine. I don't drink that much anymore," she admitted. Brian nodded in understanding, getting her a water bottle from the fridge.

They all sat down and Brian took a bite. "What do you think?" Justin asked.

"It's the best spaghetti I've ever had," Brian admitted. "I should hire you to be our cook," he said to Jennifer, chuckling.

"Maybe I should've become a caterer instead of a real estate agent," she replied.

Justin followed the conversation between Brian and his mom. _Who would ever have thought four years ago that my mother and Brian would be sitting at the same table, eating dinner together, engaged in friendly conversation? I guess we've all come a long way,_ he thought with a contented sigh.

"We're going to have a housewarming party once we get settled into the new place. Just wait until you see it, you're going to die," Justin said.

"That's what you said the last sixteen times," Jennifer reminded him. "I'm sure I'll love it. If Brian picked it out, I'll love it."

"What can I say? I have exceptional taste." Brian shrugged his shoulders.

After dinner was done, Jennifer decided that it was time to go. "I had a really great time. Thanks for having me over," she said, putting on her coat once more and gathering her bags.

"It was our pleasure," Brian assured her.

"Tell Molly I said hi and Tucker, too." Justin forced himself to smile.

"Of course," Jennifer promised, smiling as well. "Have fun on your honeymoon."

"We will." Justin gave her a quick hug.

"Bye." Brian waved.

"Bye, Brian." Jennifer smiled at her sons once more before closing the door behind her.

Justin started to clear the table. "Stop. I'll take care of it," Brian insisted, shooing Justin away.

"Are you sure? I don't mind," Justin replied, moving forward once more.

"Relax. Take a shower, read a book; I have it covered."

"I hate when you use my own words against me."

"Sure you do. Now go."

"Fine, fine. I'm going." Justin went into the bathroom and a few seconds later, Brian could hear the sound of the shower running.

Brian quickly did the dishes and went to lie down. When Justin got out of the shower, he climbed into bed next to Brian, draping his leg over him. "You're foot's cold," Brian commented.

"Sorry." Justin moved his leg off of Brian.

"I've been doing some thinking about this baby thing," Brian rolled over to face Justin.

"Yeah?"

"I want you to be the father."

"Are you sure? I mean..." Justin was completely taken aback.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life, well, except for wanting to marry you."

"Brian, I..."

"I have Gus," Brian reminded him.

"Thank you," Justin said, kissing Brian repeatedly. "How did I ever get so lucky?"

"You followed me around until I had no choice but to love you," Brian replied, laughing at the memory. "Still, I'm glad you did."

"Me, too."

Brian turned out the light and got under the blankets. "We'd better get to bed, our flight leaves early."

"Whatever happened to no more early flights?"

"Don't worry, our flight back is a early evening. That way we can enjoy our trip to the fullest."

"Good night," Justin whispered, kissing Brian's cheek.

"Night," Brian replied, returning Justin's kiss.

* * *

What felt like seconds later, the alarm went off. Groggily, Brian sat up in bed, his brow creased in confusion. _What the fuck is going on?_ He turned toward Justin and the beeping sound got louder. _Oh yeah, the goddamn alarm clock._ He hit the off button and was awarded with absolute silence.

Brian fell back into bed, rubbing his eyes. Justin stirred next to him. "Is it time to go?" he grumbled, barely coherent.

"Yeah," Brian replied, forcing himself to sit up. "No more vacations for a while, okay?"

"Fine by me."

They got up and jumped in the shower to wake themselves up. Brian turned the water on as hot as he could stand it. "It's fucking freezing," he commented, standing under the water flow.

"Let me under there!" Justin exclaimed, huddled closely to Brian. "That's better."

"If we had more time, I'd warm you up," Brian murmured.

"There's always time for that on the plane," Justin said, grinning devilishly.

Stepping out of the shower, goose bumps rose on Brian's skin. Angrily he stalked over to the thermostat and turned the heat up. "Now I remember why I fucking hate waking up before the dawn," he grumbled.

"Is Michael going to pick up the car at the airport again?" Justin asked. He was fully dressed.

"No. I ordered a cab to take us to the airport. It'll be here any minute now," he said, grabbing the clothes that he had set out the night before and putting them on. "That's better," he whispered.

Justin went and stood by the window overlooking the street. "I'll keep an eye out for the cab," he offered.

"Thanks," Brian said. He went into the bedroom, quickly made the bed, and carried down their suitcases. "Thank God you don't pack like a woman, I'd have to brain you," he joked, setting the bags down by the door.

"It helps that compared to you I have no clothes," Justin replied, turning toward Brian.

"We'll fix that once we're in Italy. I think a trip to Milan is in order."

"I knew there had to be a reason you chose Italy,"

"What can I say? Where better to see the new spring collection than the fashion capitol of the world?"

"I'm more interested in seeing the Sistine Chapel," Justin admitted. "When I was little, I used to beg my parents to take me there for my birthday," he laughed. "Silly, huh?"

"No."

"It doesn't matter anyway, I finally get to see it."

Outside, the cab pulled up to the curb and the driver honked the horn. "Sounds like the cab's here," Brian said, giving the loft one last sweep to make sure that he hadn't forgotten anything. On the way out the door, he set the alarm. Jennifer had been given a copy of the alarm code for showings, hopefully she didn't forget it; the last thing he wanted to come home to was a fine from the police or an empty apartment.

The driver was waiting for them when they stepped out onto the street. He grabbed the bags and put them in the trunk. "Thanks," Justin said, getting into the car. The ride to the airport passed in silence; the driver completely ignored them and Brian hadn't woken up all the way yet.

_In a few hours, I'll be sunning myself in Italy,_ Justin thought contentedly. _I could get used to this._ Brian caught his eye and smiled.

Once at the airport, Brian paid the driver, giving him a small tip. "That guy was a fucking asshole," he said to Justin as they made their way inside.

"Yeah. What was up with him? I thanked him for taking care of the bags and he acted like he didn't hear me. Maybe he's deaf?"

"He isn't deaf. He's just a prick."

Their flight was delayed slightly so they sat down. "I'd like do something nice for Daphne," Justin said, pursing his lips.

"Like what?" Brian asked.

"I don't know. She's always wanted to go to New York and see some Broadway shows. If I was rich I'd get her front row tickets to her favorite shows."

"Which ones did she want to see again?" Brian asked, a plan forming in his brain.

"_Wicked_,_ Rent_, and _Phantom of the Opera_."

"Interesting," Brian murmured, grinning.

At long last, their plane began to board. "Why is it every time we're here, there's a delay?" Brian asked.

"Must be fate or something," Justin replied, handing the woman his ticket.

"Or something," Brian agreed, following Justin onto the plane.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **The anniversary party that Emmett has been planning is held, where a surprise is awaiting him. Michael faces a tough decision after realizing that he misses JR uncontrollably.


	23. Moving to Toronto?

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Emmett was hired to plan an anniversary party for an elderly couple. The wife, Joanne, came across as cold, and Emmett immediately took a dislike to her.

Brian sold Babylon to Ted.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Two

The Black's anniversary party was underway. The turnout was impressive and they seemed pleased. Before the party began, the Blacks renewed their vows. Mrs. Black came out from the garden, dressed all in white. Her husband stood in the veranda, wearing a tuxedo and smiling pleasantly. Their family and friends looked on, tears in their eyes.

Emmett watched from the patio, his mind drifting off to the imaginings of his own upcoming nuptials. He imagined the wedding taking place on a beach, just before sunset. His Aunt Lula was there, smiling proudly. His mother was crying while his father was smiling encouragingly at him. _The happiest day of my life, _he thought.

He was brought back to reality by the sound of the guests clapping and cheering. Emmett realized that he had been crying. Red faced, he turned his back and wiped the tears away. _Don't be such a silly queen,_ he berated himself._ That's never going to happen_. Forcing himself to cheer up, Emmett clapped enthusiastically as the Blacks kissed again.

The party moved into the ball room of the mansion. _Just like George's,_ Emmett thought sadly. He was still awestruck even though he'd been there plenty of times in the past few weeks.

Mrs. Black caught Emmett on their way in. "You did a lovely job, dear. Superb."

"Why, thank you!" Emmett replied, smiling excitedly. "It's a lovely turn out."

"And it's all thanks to you," Mrs. Black returned Emmett's smile. _I guess she's not that much of a frigid bitch after all. _"In fact, my husband and I are so pleased with your services that we've decided to use you again."

"That's wonderful! Thank you so much!" His face flushed with excitement.

"My granddaughter is having her Christening next month and we want you to plan it."

"I don't know what to say, Mrs. Black," Emmett bit his lip.

"Joanne, please."

"Joanne," Emmett amended. _Wow, she must really like me if she's sharing her first name._

"Just say yes."

"Yes," Emmett said happily.

Mr. Black stepped into the room. "Honey? We need you," he said, waving at Emmett.

"Just one more minute, Charles." Joanne held up a finger. "I just have one more question."

"Shoot," Emmett insisted.

"Are you seeing anybody?"

Emmett was taken aback. "Uh...yes I am. I'm engaged actually."

"Oh," Joanne said disappointedly. "I have a nephew, he's about your age, his boyfriend just broke up with him and you two would be _perfect_ together."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Emmett replied.

"Oh well. At least I tried."

"Joanne, honey, come on!" Charles called. "They guests are waiting!"

"Enjoy the party. Don't leave before we talk again, okay?" Joanne said with a sigh before walking away.

"Okay." _What now? _he wondered, making himself a plate of shrimp. Emmett noticed a sad looking guy leaning against the wall across the room. _That must be the nephew that just got dumped,_ Emmett thought.

He made his way across the room. The guy was looking the opposite way. "Hey," Emmett said. The man whipped his head around the face him.

"Hey." He checked Emmett out.

"I'm Emmett Honeycutt, I planned the party."

"I'm Alex, the nephew." They shook hands.

"You seem depressed, sweetie. What's wrong?" _I might as well do a little good while I'm here._

"My boyfriend David just broke up with me. We'd been together for years. He's the only guy I've ever been with." Tears threatened to spill onto Alex's cheeks.

"That's horrible," Emmett said, giving Alex a comforting hug.

"I want to get over him. I just need to find someone else..." He looked at Emmett again, a slight smile on his lips.

"Sorry, sweetie, I'm engaged." Alex's smile disappeared. "I'll tell you what. Do you know where Babylon is?"

"The club on Liberty Avenue?"

"The one and only. I'm going to be there later tonight. My friend Brian owns it. Stop by, I'll introduce you to some guys, okay?"

"Thanks," Alex smiled again.

"My pleasure. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have _got_ to make a trip to the men's room."

A few hours later, the party was winding down. After all the guests had left, Emmett helped cleaned up. "You really don't have to do that," Joanne insisted.

"I don't mind," Emmett assured her, carrying on.

"I have something for you." She reached into her pocket and pulled out an envelope. "This is yours," she said, handing it to Emmett.

"What is it?" Emmett asked, accepting it.

"It's a check.."

"Oh, right. Thanks." Emmett tucked the envelope into his pocket.

"No, thank you. This party couldn't have been lovelier, dear." She patted Emmett on the shoulder. "You get yourself on home now, Emmett. We'll take care of the rest of this."

"If you're sure..." Emmett hesitated.

"Go home to your man," Joanne insisted.

"Bye," Emmett waved as he closed the door.

When he was in his car, he opened the envelope. He noticed that the check had a couple extra zeros that shouldn't have been there. _What? _Emmett rushed back up to the door and rang the doorbell. Joanne answered the door. "Emmett, honey, go home!" she joked.

"You gave me too much money!" he said pointing to the check.

"No I didn't. That's a bonus, for a job well done."

"Oh." _Holy Mary mother of God!_ "I...I can't accept..."

Joanne shut the door. With a resigned sigh, Emmett got back into his car. He looked at the check again. _I don't think I've ever seen that many zeros in my life! Well, except for the money George gave me._ He sat in the car for a long time, too shocked to drive. When he finally regained control of himself, the sun had gone down. _Better get home and get dressed, Babylon calls._

_

* * *

_

Michael was in the living room, talking to Melanie on the phone. "How's my baby?" he asked.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," Melanie joked.

"I meant JR, but I am glad that you're doing well." Michael laughed. "I miss you guys."

"We miss you, too. Lindsay spent the whole drive back talking about how much fun she had and how she wants to come back soon."

"We'd love to have you back."

"Lindsay says hi by the way."

"Tell her I said hi back."

"Do you want to talk to Jenny? She won't actually talk back, but I bet she'll recognize your voice."

"I'd love to!" Michael exclaimed.

"Okay, here she is. Say hi to Daddy, Jenny," Michael heard Melanie say, as if from a distance.

"Hey JR, how are you? I miss you, honeybun! Daddy loves you, sweetie," he cooed, feeling a sad pang in his heart.

"She smiled," Melanie said, laughing.

"She did? Aw, I wish I could kiss her right now."

"Don't worry, before you know it, she'll be back. I promise." There was a beep. "Shit, that's my call waiting. I have to go. I'll talk to you later." Melanie hung up.

"Later," Michael murmured, staring out the window at a little girl playing jump rope on the sidewalk. _I miss you JR, sweetie,_ he thought sadly, his eyes tearing up.

Ben came and sat down next to him. "Michael, are you okay?" he asked.

"I'll live," Michael replied, sniffling.

"Honey, what is it?" Ben started rubbing Michael's shoulders.

"I miss JR," Michael confessed, sobbing.

"What brought this on?" Ben asked. He hugged Michael to his chest, softly stroking his hair.

"Melanie called to say hi. I talked to JR for a minute and then I saw a little girl outside..."

"Shh, it's okay," Ben soothed. "Everything will be all right, I promise."

"I can't do this Ben. I can't be away from her. It's killing me!"

"What, are you saying you want to move to Toronto?" Ben asked.

"I don't know," Michael admitted, flustered. "I can't think straight. All I feel is the pain."

"Look, why don't you go lie down and we'll talk about this later, huh?"

"Sure," Michael scoffed, walking upstairs.

Michael tried to sleep, but his mind was too preoccupied. He tossed and turned, unable to relax. Angrily, he punched his pillow. _How does Brian live with this? _he wondered_. _With a sigh, he got up and went back downstairs. "Hey, how are you feeling?" Ben asked.

"The same," Michael grumbled, sitting down on the couch.

"Did you at least rest?"

"I couldn't sleep. My mind is too preoccupied."

"Michael..." Ben began.

"Don't. Please? Don't tell me that everything will be okay."

"That isn't what I was going to say," Ben replied. "But it's the truth."

"What were you going to say then? What could you _possibly _say that would make me feel better?"

"If you want to move to Toronto to be with JR, we will."

Michael's jaw dropped open. "Ben, I..." he began, unable to find the right words.

"Michael, I know how important she is to you. And I don't want you to be away from her."

"What about your job? I mean..." Michael shook his head.

"There are colleges in Canada. Just think, there we could actually live as a married couple," Ben rubbed Michael's arm.

"The comic shop...?" Michael couldn't wrap his mind around the idea.

"It was just a thought," Ben said quickly. "Just think about it."

"I will," Michael promised.

The thought of leaving Pittsburgh confounded Michael. He'd never really lived anywhere else in his whole life, except about a month in Portland. _If it means that I get to see JR, it wouldn't be so bad, right?_ _What about Ma? You can't leave her here all alone; at least last time she had Uncle Vic, who does she have now except Carl, who isn't too well himself..._

Michael began to pace the living room slowly, lost in thought. His heart beat quickly and he nervously ran his hands through his hair. "I hate making life changing decisions," he muttered to no one in particular. Thinking back on the last hour, he began to feel that he had overreacted. _Lots of fathers miss their kids; they don't relocate to a new country! What am I thinking! JR needs her father in her life! I don't want to be the kind of dad that only sees his kid three times a year!_

Slightly flustered, Michael grabbed his coat. "Where are you going?" Ben asked. "I thought we were going to spend the evening together...?"

"I'm sorry, I need to get out of the house. Clear my mind. I'm going to Babylon."

"All right, but don't stay out too late, okay?"

"I won't." Michael leaned in and gave Ben a quick kiss. "I'll see you later."

"Bye." Ben watched Michael walk down the sidewalk, concernedly chewing his lip.

* * *

With Brian out of town once again, Ted was in charge of Babylon. _Better get used to it,_ he thought. _In the next couple of weeks this place will be yours._ He smiled at the thought. "Hey, Teddy," Emmett said, coming up next to him. Even in the scarce light of Babylon Ted could see that Emmett was beaming with joy.

"Hey, Em," he replied. "What's up?"

"You are _not_ going to believe what happened to me today!"

"Uh...you saw the ghost of Lana Turner?" Ted asked, shrugging.

"No silly! Do you remember the Blacks? That sweet old couple that were renewing their vows for their anniversary?"

"Vaguely, though I don't remember you describing them as 'sweet.' "

"That was then. The party was today and they _loved _it. Look at my paycheck!" He shoved the check in Ted's face.

Ted moved back a few steps and grabbed the check, trying to read it in the dimness. "Is this for real?" he asked when he was the dollar amount.

"One hundred percent real, baby!" Emmett exclaimed, whooping.

"Em, that's amazing!" Ted grinned enthusiastically.

"I know, right? And get this; their granddaughter is having her First Communion in a few weeks and guess who gets to plan the party? Little old _moi_." Emmett posed dramatically.

"That's great, Em. Really. Congratulations."

"Thank you. Thank you." Emmett bowed. "Ooh, which reminds me, I'm supposed to meet someone here tonight."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Ted asked, regretting it as soon as he said it.

"Not like _that_! The Blacks have a nephew who happens to be gay. His boyfriend just broke up with him and is in _desperate_ need of a good lay. I told him to meet me here so I could introduce him to some guys." Emmett winked.

"Uh huh and what exactly does this guy look like?" Ted asked, spotting an attractive yet nervous looking man walking through the crowd.

"Tall, dark hair. Grreaat body. Why?"

"He's right over there." Ted pointed at the man.

"Alex!" Emmett shouted to be heard over the thumpa thumpa. Alex turned toward them. Emmett waved emphatically. "Over here!"

Alex fought his way through the bodies of dancing men. "Sorry I'm late. This place is packed!" He smiled at Emmett.

"No problem, sweetie. Alex, this is my best friend Teddy. Teddy, this is Alex," Emmett waved back and forth.

"Hi." Ted offered his hand, which Alex took.

"Nice to meet you," Alex replied with a slight smile. _He's gorgeous!_ Ted thought with a secret smile.

"So, see anybody you like?" Emmett asked, quickly scanning the crowd.

"To be honest, I haven't actually checked," Alex laughed nervously.

"Just relax honey, you're fine."

Alex turned and looked out over the dance floor. He spotted a cute guy. "Him," he said, nodding his head.

"Oh. That's Todd. Just so you know, he's a strict bottom."

"That's fine. I'm a strict top." Alex laughed.

"Fabulous. I'll introduce you. Later, Teddy," Emmett said, leading Alex away.

"Bye." Ted watched Emmett and Alex lope off.

_Alone once again_, he thought sadly. Blake hadn't felt up to going out. If Ted had had a choice, he'd have stayed home with Blake, but as the new owner of Babylon, well, soon to be new owner of Babylon, duty called.

Ted was just about to go get a drink from the bar when Michael came through the door. Ted waved and motioned for Michael to join him. _He looks upset, _Ted noted. "Hey," he said when Michael reached him.

"Hey," Michael replied glumly.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine."

"Then why do you look like someone just ran over your dog? Tell me Michael."

Michael sighed and shook his head. "I talked to Mel today."

"How are they doing?"

"Great. She let me talk to JR on the phone and..." He laughed incredulously, "I got all choked up and had a soap opera moment."

"All queens have soap opera moments," Ted assured him.

"Except for Brian." Ted shrugged. "Ben suggested we move to Toronto so we can be near JR"

"What?" Ted exclaimed.

"Yeah." Michael nodded.

"A-Are you going to do it?"

"I don't know. I have to think about it. Pittsburgh is my home, you know? I mean, I liked Toronto when we went there for the Liberty Ride, but I wouldn't want to _live_ there."

"Well, you have to decide what you want to do. We'll all understand if you want to be by your daughter."

"Would you understand if I wanted to stay here?" Michael asked sarcastically.

"We'll understand no matter what you decide to do," Ted assured him.

Michael looked out at the dance floor. "Wanna dance?" he asked, desperate to change the subject.

"I'm all yours," Ted replied, smiling.

"I love this song!" Michael exclaimed, suddenly feeling better.

"Me, too. It reminds me of college." At Michael's quizzical look, Ted continued. "I had a good time in college, except for the fact that I couldn't come out to my fraternity brothers and had to go out with women." Ted made a disgusted face. "On second thought, I hated college."

They both laughed hysterically. "I've been there," Michael reminded him. "You know what, let's get shit faced!" Michael grabbed hold of Ted's shirt and dragged him to the bar.

_I am so going to regret this tomorrow,_ Ted thought with a grimace.

The night was young and the beer was flowing freely. The thumpa thumpa continued.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin spend a fun weekend in Italy.


	24. Italy Japanese Style

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Before leaving for Italy, Brian and Justin decided that Justin would be the father of their child and agreed to approach Daphne after they got home.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three

Brian woke up before the sun had risen. For a second, he forgot where he was, looking around the spacious hotel suite for any tell tale signs. Looking over at Justin's sleeping form, he remembered. _Venice. We're in Venice._ He lay in bed for a few minutes, looking out the window at the skyline.

When their plane had landed the previous day, they'd gone back to the hotel to rest for awhile. In the early evening, they'd gone out to eat at a restaurant and then had gone to a bar for a few beers. Later that night, they'd gone back to the hotel and made love numerous times before falling into a deep sleep. _All right, time to get up_.

For once, Justin woke up on his own. "Good morning," he said, kissing Brian's neck.

"We've got a long day ahead of us," Brian reminded him, giving Justin a few kisses.

"How long is the train ride to Rome again?"

"About six and a half hours, so if we want time to see the Sistine Chapel, explore the Vatican, and shop in Milan, we have to get going This is Italy: Japanese style."

"What does that mean?" Justin laughed/

"We're going to have to hurry. No fucking around."

"All right, all right," Justin grumbled.

After a quick shower, they got a cab to the train station. "I cannot wait to see the Vatican," Justin confessed, anxiously shaking his legs.

"It doesn't do anything for me. I have no desire to see the Pope and be surrounded by Catholics. They hate us more than anyone." Brian made a disgusted face.

"I never thought of that." Justin sighed. "Way to ruin it for me."

"I was just pointing out a common fact. Besides, who cares? If they don't like us, they can take their fucking religion and move to a deserted island by themselves. We have just as much right to be there as they do.

The train boarded and they found two seats next to each other. The compartments were packed with tourists and families. Brian cringed at the sound of an infant wailing incessantly nearby. _Better get used to that,_ he thought smugly as he popped in an ear bud and handed the other one to Justin. "What is this?" Justin asked.

"Moby," Brian replied with a smile. "It's hot, remember?"

"Yes," Justin replied, smiling at the memory.

Unfortunately, Moby did not last more than forty-five minutes. _I should've brought my laptop,_ Brian thought. _At least then we could've watched porn_. Justin had brought along a novel to read. Looking at the title, Brian chuckled. "What?" Justin asked.

"_The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl?_"

"Yeah, so?" yJustin put his bookmark back in place. "It's a really interesting book. I think you'd like it."

"In what reality would I want to read a book about a prostitute?" Brian asked.

"Suit yourself. You're missing out." Justin opened the book once more.

Sighing, Brian closed his eyes. The rocking of the train and the wailing of the infant kept him awake. _Why the fuck did I decide to take a train to Rome instead of goddamn plane?_ As his irritation level rose, Brian thought, _it's for Justin._ That calmed him down. _Anything for Justin._ He stole a sideways glance at Justin, who was deeply involved in his book. _I guess it can't be _that_ bad._ "How's the book?" he asked finally.

"Good," Justin replied, eyes still scanning the page. "Her client just referred to their rendezvous as an 'afternoon delight.' Bad, huh?" Justin laughed.

"Oh, God," Brian groaned. "Mind if I read it, too?"

"Not at all," Justin replied with a sly smile. _There are worse ways to spend a six and a half hour train ride,_ Brian thought.

The train finally arrived at its destination. Brian and Justin painfully got to their feet, their muscles cramped from sitting. "I am never doing that again," Brian muttered.

"We have to get back to the hotel somehow," Justin reminded him.

"Damn."

"There's so much to see here!" Justin exclaimed.

"Well we have all day." He handed Justin the camera.

"I hope you brought some spare memory cards," Justin joked.

"Would I forget them?"

"No, you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because you are a great husband and I love you very much." Justin stood on his tiptoes to kiss Brian. "Now, where should we go first?"

"You decide. It doesn't matter to me."

"Brian, this is _our _honeymoon, not just mine," Justin reminded him.

"I know. You do what you want here, I'll do what I want in Milan." Brian gave Justin a cocky smile.

"You never change, do you?" Justin wrapped his arms around Brian's slim waist and dragged him off in a random direction.

Some time later, they turned up at the Quirinal Palace. "It's amazing, isn't it?" Justin asked, already taking pictures.

"I suppose," Brian replied. "What the fuck is it?"

"It's the Quirinal Palace," Justin said as though Brian should already know.

"The _Queer_-inal palace?" Brian chuckled.

"I knew you'd be amused by that. Come on, let's go see the Great Chapel and the frescos."

Brian patiently followed Justin inside and nodded his assent when Justin commented on the beauty of the architecture or the frescos. _What else can you do?_ he thought with a shrug. "Look at that." Brian pointed to a fresco placed over the stairs.

"The _Blessing Christ_," Justin murmured. "It's the most famous one here."

"If you keep up the good work, you could have some of your work here, too," Brian said.

"I would die!" Justin exclaimed. "My work in the Louvre a_nd_ the Quirinal Palace! My life would almost be complete."

Outside once more, they toured the gardens. "It says here that the gardens are over two hundred years old," Brian said, pointing to his guidebook.

"Can you imagine?" Justin gasped. "Amazing!"

As they made their way towards the Colosseum, Justin said, "We could spend the next ten years sightseeing here. There's so many things to see!"

"I guess we'll just have to pick the most important and save the others for next time," Brian replied.

"Next time!" Justin could only shake his head. "What, are we going to stay for a week next time?" he joked.

"If that's what it takes," Brian promised.

When the Colosseum loomed before them, Brian let out a low whistle. "Wow," was all he could say.

"It takes your breath away, doesn't it?" Justin asked, eye wide in excitement.

"I'll say," Brian's mouth hung open in wonder.

"It's almost two thousand years old and still standing. I think I could use up the rest of the memory cards just on this!"

"We'd better not go in, then," Brian replied dryly.

"Okay," Justin said, nodding.

Their next stop, the Arch of Constantine was right next door –– thankfully. Justin took some pictures and Brian lit a cigarette. Checking the time, he got Justin's attention. "We're running out of time. If you still want to see the Sistine Chapel before we head back, we have to go now."

They hurriedly made their way to the Apostolic Palace, home of the Sistine Chapel and the Pope. Justin was not at all prepared for everything he saw; the art there almost matched that of the Louvre. "Wow!" he exclaimed, looking up at the ceiling and laughing in disbelief. His voice echoed through the chapel.

"Shh!" someone hissed, fixing Justin with an angry look.

Brian clenched his fists and opened his mouth to spout an insult, but Justin planted a kiss on him. "It's fine," he insisted, "I can't be angry right now. I'm in the Sistine Chapel with my husband and I couldn't be happier." Brian grudgingly bit his tongue, though he did give the woman a deadly glare.

Justin took as many pictures as he possibly could. "We have to take some pictures of us before we go back home," Justin commented, loading another memory card into the camera.

"You can take some of me trying on clothes in Milan," Brian hinted.

"Okay I'm ready, let's go." He gave the room one last sweep. _I'll be back one day,_ he silently promised.

The streets were packed. "If things don't change, we're going to miss our train," Brian grumbled.

"What happens if we miss our train?" Justin asked.

"We have to wait for the next one."

"That's not so bad, is it?"

"You have to have a reservation to even get on the train," Brian said.

"Oh," Justin muttered. "We'd better hurry, then."

Thankfully, they had left with enough time to accommodate the gridlock of the streets.

As they got closer to the train station, the crowd of people thinned out and they made it just in time. The train was not as packed as it had been on the way there and from a quick inspection of the carriage, Brian ascertained that there were no little children. _Thank God_, he thought.

They sat in the same seats they'd had before and Justin pulled out his book again.

"What are you going to do when you finish that?" Brian asked.

"I don't know," Justin admitted. "I'm too pumped to sleep."

"Speak for yourself," Brian replied, yawning.

"Maybe I'll drag you into the bathroom and let you have your way with me," Justin suggested.

"Suddenly I feel recharged," Brian joked.

* * *

It was night when they finally got back to the hotel, the sun having gone down during the train ride back. "I'm starving," Justin said as they walked in.

"Me, too. Let's go up, get changed, and then go get something to eat." Brian led the way to the elevator.

"What about Milan?"

"We can go tomorrow before we leave."

Ten minutes later, refreshed, they tried to decide on where to go. "I really want pizza," Justin decided. "I haven't had it in a long time."

"Pizza it is, then," Brian replied.

As they made their way through the beautiful city, Justin looked down at the water. "It's crazy to think that one day, this whole city will be underwater. I wonder what all the people living here will do."

"They'll move somewhere else; start over. Who knows, maybe by that time, they'll have found a way to save it."

"That would be nice. Just imagine how much beautiful architecture would be destroyed," he shook his head sadly.

After wandering for awhile, they came upon a small restaurant that looked good. "Are you sure they'll have pizza?" Justin asked.

"Sunshine, it's Italy. Every restaurant has pizza," Brian replied opening the door. As it turned out, they did. Their waiter, a younger man, caught sight of Brian and wouldn't look away unless it was absolutely necessary.

"How do you do it?" Justin asked, perplexed.

"Do what?" Brian asked, oblivious.

"Everywhere you go, you somehow find a gay man,"

"It's one of my natural talents," Brian joked.

"You're incredible."

When their food arrived, the waiter hovered as close as he could. "How about after

dinner, we go for a gondola ride?" Brian suggested.

"That's just what I was thinking! You can't go to Venice without going for a gondola ride."

"Can I get you anything else?" the waiter asked, ignoring Justin completely.

"No, thank you," Brian answered, his eyes never leaving Justin. _Maybe then he'll get the hint._

"Okay. Just shout if you need me." The waiter backed away and was so engrossed in Brian that he tripped over a table and spilled wine all over a woman in a white dress. "I am so sorry!" he insisted, face aglow with embarrassment.

"Poor guy," Justin muttered, looking away from the scene. "That is so embarrassing."

"Maybe he should pay more attention to where he's walking next time," Brian replied, a tight smile on his lips.

After the mess was situated, the waiter brought them the check. Before he handed it to Brian, he wrote something on the back. "What's this?" Brian asked, though he already knew the answer.

"My telephone number. My shift ends in a couple of hours, we could..."

"No, thanks." Brian handed the slip of paper back to the waiter.

Disappointed, the waiter stalked off. "You had to go and crush his hopes and dreams, didn't you?" Justin asked.

"He'll live. There are plenty of men in the world for him."

"But not was as hot you."

"Shut up," Brian replied, smiling. "Let's get out of here and find a gondola.

A few streets up from the restaurant, they found one. After paying the gondolier, Brian and Justin stepped onto the boat. "Careful," the gondolier warned. "You don't want to lose your balance and fall overboard."

"Thanks," Brian replied sarcastically.

"This is so romantic!" Justin said, snuggling up next to Brian. "Would you have imagined four years ago that we'd be here now, together?" he stared out at the moonlit water.

"No," Brian admitted. "But I'm glad that we are."

"Me, too." They kissed and the gondolier pretended to intently study the oar he held in his hands.

When the gondola ride was over, they went back to hotel. "That was amazing!" Justin said, a smile on his face.

"It was," Brian agreed, smiling as well; he loved seeing Justin happy.

"I don't want to go home tomorrow. I love it here."

"More than Paris?"

"Not quite as much as Paris," Justin admitted, settling into bed.

Brian got in after him and pulled the blankets up. "It's definitely warmer here than it is back home," he muttered.

"I cannot wait until summer. I hate the spring."

"It's better than winter."

"Barely. It's cool and rainy."

"Well one day when you're a rich artist, we'll get a house somewhere like Florida where it's warm all year long."

"I wouldn't want to live in Florida, they have alligators."

"Alligators or cold weather?"

"Alligators," Justin sighed, turning out the light.

Under the covers, Justin's hands explored Brian's body. Brian responded by slipping out of his clothes. He turned to face Justin. "Are you up for it?" he asked.

"When am I not up for it?" Justin retorted, grabbing a condom and the lube and handing it to Brian, who set to work.

* * *

Brian and Justin slept in the next morning. Their flight wasn't until early evening, which left them plenty of time sleep and to finish up their sightseeing. "How long of a train ride do we have today?" Justin asked as he got dressed.

"Six hours total," Brian replied.

"Thank God! If I had to sit through another thirteen hour ride..." He left the sentence unfinished.

"If it was that long of a ride, I'd do without. If I wait long enough, the clothes will make their way to Pittsburgh."

The train ride passed by quicker than either of them expected. From the train station, they made their way to the Quadrilatero della moda fashion district. Once they were on the Corso Venezia, Brian spotted his favorites; Armani and Prada. "Where should we start?" Justin asked.

"Armani," Brian replied, already walking in. _I'm in heaven,_ he thought, heading straight for the shoes. "I need some new shoes for work," he explained to Justin.

Brian walked out with a new pair of shoes, the most expensive ones in stock, and a new suit. "It's a good thing I don't live here, we'd be in debt from all the credit card bills."

"No kidding," Justin remarked, "I can't believe how much you paid for those!"

"They're worth it." He checked the time. "Let's go to Prada real quick."

Even though Justin was bored out his mind, he didn't say anything. _Imagine how bored Brian must've been at the Louvre, or in Rome yesterday. Besides, it makes him happy. _While Brian checked out the shoes, Justin wandered over to the belts and idly fingered one. _I don't see why people make such a big deal about stuff like this, they're just clothes with a designer label._ "Do you like that?" Brian asked, carrying a dress shirt.

"What?" Justin asked.

"That belt." Brian nodded towards the belt that Justin held in his hand.

"Oh, no. I was just..." He trailed off.

"Come on, pick something out."

"I'm fine, really."

"We're not leaving until you pick something out," Brian insisted.

Sighing, Justin looked around and spotted a shirt. "This is nice," he said, pulling it off the rack.

"Yes, it is. It would look great on you," Brian whispered in his ear. He grabbed it out of Justin's hand and went over to the check-out counter.

Their time was limited, so they made their way back to the train station. By the time they got back to the hotel, it was time to leave again. "Did you enjoy the honeymoon?" Brian asked in the airport lobby.

"It couldn't have been better," Justin replied happily. "I just wish we didn't have to go home."

"I wouldn't mind staying a few extra days, I just might need a couple more suits," Brian said, pretending to contemplate the idea. Justin laughed.

The plane started boarding. Gathering up their bags, Brian and Justin made their way through the gate.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk:** Back home in Pittsburgh after a weekend in Italy, Brian and Justin have Daphne over for dinner, with the intent of asking her to carry their child. Will Daphne do as she offered a few weeks back? At Woody's, Brian and Emmett go over the plans for the _Rage _party, where Emmett tells Brian that Michael is acting odd. Can Brian help his best friend with his life changing decision?


	25. Queers Not Dykes

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin agreed to start a family - with Justin fathering their child.

Daphne offered to be the mother if Justin ever decided he wanted to have a baby.

Brian put the loft back up for sale so that he and Justin could move into Britin.

After talking to JR, Michael realized that while he was in Pittsburgh and she was in Toronto, he'd always miss her. Ben offered to relocate to Canada so that Michael could be closer to his daughter.

In honor of the new issue of _Rage_ being released, Brian asked Emmett to plan a party to be held at Babylon.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Four

When they got home, Brian and Justin went straight to bed. The long flight had left them both exhausted. The cab ride back to the loft had seemed to drag on forever, but Justin had forced himself to stay awake to keep Brian company.

Justin opened his eyes and immediately shut them again. It was a bright, sunny day and the curtains were wide open, allowing the light to shine in. He looked over at Brian, who was still asleep. _I love you_, he thought with a smile. Carefully, he got out of bed and silently made his way over to the windows so he could shut the curtains.

Task completed, he contemplated going back to bed, but decided against it. _Daphne should be up by now, I'll give her a call_, he decided, stepping out of the apartment to make the call. Daphne picked up after two rings. "Hello?" Justin smiled at her voice.

"Hey, Daph. It's me."

"Oh, hey, Justin! How was your honeymoon in Italy?"

"It was great. Listen, are you busy tonight?"

"No. Why?"

"Can you come over around seven? We need to talk." Justin chewed his fingernails anxiously.

"Is everything okay?" Justin could hear the trepidation in Daphne's voice.

"Everything's fine. There's just something that Brian and I want to talk to you about."

"Okay. I'll see you at seven then."

"Seven," Justin agreed, hanging up.

He opened the door and gasped, clutching his chest. Brian stood there, shirtless, leaning against the door. "Who was that?" he asked with a sly smile on his face.

"Daphne," Justin replied, laughing.

"What did she want?"

"Nothing. I invited her over for dinner tonight."

"Aah, baby talk."

"Yep. You don't mind, do you?"

"Why would I mind?"

"I don't know." Justin shrugged.

Brian took Justin's face in his hands. "What time is she coming over?" he asked, gazing deeply in Justin's eyes.

"Seven," Justin replied putting his hands over Brian's.

"I'll be back by then."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm meeting Emmett. He's planning our _Rage _party tomorrow night."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that," Justin admitted. "So, when are you meeting Emmett?"

"Not for awhile. I thought maybe we could...recreate a little first." Brian grinned mischievously.

"I think that can be arranged," Justin replied, gently pushing Brian back toward the bedroom.

Inconveniently, the phone rang. "I'll be right there," Brian promised, picking up the phone. "Hello?"

"Brian. It's Jennifer." _What lousy timing!_

"Hey, Jennifer."

"I'm sorry to bother you so soon after you just got back, but I wanted to let you know that Mr. Mathews, the guy from the other day, made an offer on the loft."

Brian hesitated. "That's...good," he said, turning toward Justin.

"It's more than your asking price," Jennifer replied. "If I was you, I'd take it."

"Tell Mr. Matthews his offer has been accepted."

"Great! I'll bring the paperwork around later and we can get it taken care of. Bye, Brian."

"Later." Brian hung up and rubbed his chin. The loft had sold. He didn't know how to take that.

He walked back into the bedroom. "Is everything okay?" Justin asked, frowning.

"Everything's fine. That guy made an offer," Brian replied, climbing into bed.

"Did you accept it?" Justin pulled the blankets up for Brian.

"Yep."

"So, how long before we have to move out?"

"That hasn't been decided yet. Probably a few weeks."

"That gives us plenty of time to give this place a proper goodbye."

"What exactly did you have in mind?"

"You know...blow jobs, anal intercourse, rimming." His eyes twinkled mischievously.

"You've been reading too much of that book," Brian replied with a short bark of laughter.

"What do you say?" Justin asked.

Brian didn't reply but rolled Justin over onto his stomach.

* * *

Emmett was waiting at Woody's for Brian. He glanced at the clock on the wall again. _Fifteen minutes late_, he noted, tapping his heel on the floor impatiently. "Can I get you something. Emmett?" the bartender asked.

"No, thanks, I'll wait for my party to get here. _If _he ever gets here," Emmett replied, sitting down.

A few minutes later, Brian walked in the door and sat down next to Emmett. The bartender turned to him. "Beer," Brian said without looking up.

"Oh, how nice of you to _finally_ show up," Emmett said with a fake smile.

"I was busy."

"I'll bet you were," Emmett muttered, pulling out his planner. "Now, I know we went over the details before you left, but take a look at the list and see what you think." He handed the planner to Brian, who quickly scanned it.

"Everything seems to be fine," Brian said, handing it back.

"Good. So I can put everything in order and have it ready for tomorrow night."

"That's what I like to hear." Brian sipped his beer.

"I still can't believe you're selling the club. It's so surreal."

"I don't need it anymore; I've got Justin, a huge house, and two children," Brian replied with a shrug.

"Wait, _two_ children?" _Shit! Fuck!_

"Forget I said that." Brian mentally slapped himself.

"You and Justin are going to...?" Emmett clapped enthusiastically.

"Yes," Brian admitted, sighing.

"I'm so excited!"

"Will the calm the fuck down? Daphne hasn't even said yes yet."

"Daphne's going to be the mother? How cute! That girl is adorable! If I wasn't gay, she and I would be married."

"Yeah, she's great. Can we talk about something else?"

"Sure..." Emmett looked around, trying not to smile.

"And don't say a word to anyone else, got it? The only one who knows is Justin's mom and we want to keep it that way."

"Whatever you say, Brian. Congratulations." Emmett have Brian a peck on the cheek.

Brian gave Emmett a dirty look and rolled his eyes. "So, have you talked to Michael in the past few days?" he asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Not since Friday at Babylon. He seemed a little..." Emmett waved his hands. "Down in the dumps I guess you'd say."

"What happened?" Brian couldn't hide the concern in his voice. Couldn't Michael stay out of trouble?

"How should I know? He didn't say anything to me." Emmett shrugged helplessly.

"I have to go see him," Brian said, throwing a ten dollar bill down on the table and leaving.

"You're welcome!" Emmett called after him sarcastically.

When Brian pulled up outside of the Novotny-Bruckner house, he took a moment to compose himself. He didn't want to rush up to the door and look like a drama queen. _Play it cool_, he ordered himself, getting out of the car. Taking a deep breath, he rang the doorbell. Inside he could hear footsteps approaching. He was relieved to see Michael when the door opened. "Hey, Mikey," he said, grinning.

"Brian, what are you doing here?" Michael asked.

"I just thought I'd stop by and say hi," Brian lied.

"Come in." Michael held the door open wider.

They went into the living room. "Do you want something to drink? Water? Beer? Tea?" Michael asked.

"I'm fine, thanks," Brian replied. "How are you?"

"You've never been one to stop by out of blue and ask how I've been, Brian. Not unless something's going on with you and Justin. What's up?" Michael crossed his arms over his chest.

"My we're testy today aren't we, Mrs. Novotny-Bruckner?" Brian asked sarcastically.

"I'm sorry. I haven't been sleeping well the last couple of nights," Michael admitted, sitting next to Brian.

"What's bothering you?"

Michael looked away to hide the tears welling up in his eyes. _Pull yourself together!_ he ordered. "It's nothing..."

"Don't bullshit me, Mikey. Tell me what the fuck is going on."

"Ben and I are moving to Canada," Michael blurted.

"What!" Brian exclaimed, mouth dropping open.

"Might_. Might_ be moving to Canada," he amended.

"When...did this happen?" Brian asked, shaking his head confusedly.

Michael told Brian about his phone conversation with Melanie and how upset he'd been after talking to JR "Ben says that if moving to Toronto to be near JR will make me happy, he's willing to do it."

"I see," Brian said emotionlessly. "Would that make you happy?"

"I don't know...I think so, but the thought of leaving Pittsburgh..." He shook his head.

"Do what makes you happy, Mikey. Fuck everyone else."

"Yeah, thanks, Brian. That's never worked for me," Michael quipped.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I have no idea. I just..." Michael trailed off. He swallowed past the lump in his throat. "I don't know what to do." The tears fell, and Michael let them, too upset to care anymore.

Brian reached out and pulled Michael into his chest, wrapping his arms around him.

He didn't know what to say, so he just held Michael in his arms, tenderly stroking his hair.

* * *

Daphne showed up on time, nervously playing with her hair. Justin opened the door and smiled. "Come in, Daph." Daphne smiled back at him and slowly walked into the loft, taking a deep, calming breath. "Can I get you something to drink?" Justin asked, making his way toward the bar.

"I'm fine for now, thanks," Daphne replied, looking around at the apartment; she hadn't been there in awhile. "It looks the same as always," she commented.

"Not for much longer. Someone made an offer and Brian accepted, so in the next couple of weeks we'll be moved into the new house. Who knows what this place will look like when the new guy takes over."

"Yeah," Daphne replied, blushing slightly.

"Are you okay, Daph? You seem...nervous?"

"I am. A-a little," she confessed, shuffling her feet.

"Don't be. I think you'll leave tonight just as happy as Brian and I are."

"Where is Brian, anyway?"

"He just called. He's on his way home from Michael's right now, but he promised that he wouldn't be late for dinner," Justin said. "Which reminds me, I have to check on the food." He hurried over to the oven, opened it up, and looked inside. "Good," he commented, turning back to Daphne.

She sat down on the sofa. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked.

"I think we'd better wait for Brian," Justin replied, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Come on!" Daphne pleaded.

"Nope, sorry." Justin shook his head.

"Fine, I see how it is. We've only been friends since _forever!_" Daphne teased him.

Justin laughed and began setting the table. The door opened and Brian walked in. "Hey," he said, spinning around.

"Hey," Brian replied, kissing him softly. "Hey, Daphne."

"Hi, Brian." Daphne waved from the couch.

"You got here just in time, dinner's almost ready," Justin told him.

"Good, I'm starving."

"You're in luck. I made your favorite."

"I love you," Brian said, kissing Justin again, more passionately.

Daphne watched on happily. _They so belong together_, she thought, grinning. When the kissing became more racy, she loudly cleared her throat to remind them of her presence. Brian pulled away and smiled at Daphne, while Justin blushed and went back to setting the table. "I'm gonna go get changed," Brian said, stepping up into the bedroom.

By the time he got back out, dinner was ready and they all sat down at the table. Brian and Justin across from each other with Daphne in the middle. Justin looked at Brian. "Should we tell her?" he asked.

"I suppose she's suffered long enough," Brian replied, glancing at Daphne.

"Come on, guys! Tell me!" she demanded.

"Tell her," Brian said, chewing his bottom lip.

Justin cleared his throat and looked Daphne in the eyes. "Brian and I have been doing some thinking this past week and we've decided that we want to start a family."

"Oh, my God!" Daphne exclaimed, practically screaming. "I'm so excited!"

"We can tell," Brian muttered, jamming the index finger of both hands in his ears.

"What we want to know is if you'll carry the baby for us?" Justin was nervously picking at his food.

"Yes! Of course!" Daphne screeched excitedly and threw her arms around Justin. "This is amazing!"

Brian reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked to Daphne like an airplane ticket. He slid it over to Daphne, who cautiously opened it. "A plane ticket to New York for tomorrow morning?" she asked incredulously.

"There's more. You've also got tickets to _Rent_, _Wicked_, and _Phantom of the Opera_."

"You're kidding!" Daphne's face turned blue.

"Breathe, Daph," Justin reminded her.

"I-I can't believe this! I don't know what to say..."

"Don't say anything. Just consider it a...thank you for helping us out." Brian gave her a peck on the cheek. "We appreciate it."

"How did you...?"

"Justin told me." Brian shrugged.

Daphne looked at Justin, who grinned broadly. "Thank you. Both of you. This is..." She couldn't find words to express exactly what she was feeling.

"Thank _you_," Justin replied. "You're the one that's going to be carrying and delivering a baby."

"Which one of you is going to be the father?"

"Me," Justin said, smiling at Brian.

"Great! How are we going to do it? I mean..." she trailed off, uncomfortable.

"I just assumed that I'd..." Justin's face flushed with embarrassment and he laughed nervously.

"Jerk off in a cup," Brian finished for him, not bothered.

"Oh."

"Is that okay?" Justin asked.

"Yeah, it's just that...the idea of that makes me feel strange. I thought we'd just..." Now it was Daphne's turn to blush.

"Fuck," Brian filled in.

"Yeah," Daphne answered, nodding appreciatively at Brian.

"I guess we could do that, I mean we've done it before," he turned to Brian, "unless you don't want me to..."

"Do whatever makes you both feel comfortable. I don't give a shit."

"Are you sure?" Justin asked. He would feel weird about having sex with someone who wasn't Brian, even if it was just for the sake of procreation.

"If you're okay with it, I'm okay with it."

"What do you say, Daph?"

Daphne took a deep breath before answering. "Let's do it. The old fashioned way, I mean. Something about procreating without sex just irks me." She shivered to demonstrate.

"Okay." Justin nodded his head.

"When you do you want to do it?"

"You're leaving for New York tomorrow, so we can talk when you get back. You'll have to let us know when you're ovulating." Justin blushed again.

"I can go to the buy one of those ovulation monitor things," Daphne suggested.

"Enough talk about ovulating. Queers live here, remember?" Brian joked. "Not a couple of dykes."

"Awww, would you rather we talk about when my sperm count is the highest?" Justin teased, rubbing Brian's hair.

"That's better." They started to kiss again and Daphne looked down at her plate to give them some privacy. _I can't believe it's finally happening,_ she thought. _Not only are they married, but they're going to have a baby! _For the first time in months, Daphne was truly happy.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk:** The _Rage _party is held at Babylon. Michael makes a tough decision.


	26. Rage Party: Take Two

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Daphne agreed to carry the baby for Brian and Justin, but opted not to be artificially inseminated. Brian insisted that Justin be the father since he already has Gus and doesn't want Justin to miss out on the experience.

After Michael got upset talking to JR, Ben offered to move the family to Toronto so that Michael could be closer to his daughter.

Emmett was hired by Brian to organize a party at Babylon in honor of the new issue of _Rage_.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Five

The _Rage_ party was in full swing. Everybody who was anybody was there. While normally Babylon would have been packed anyway, that fact that Emmett had announced that Justin Taylor and Michael Novotny would be there had bolstered the sales even more. "I'm going to kill you for this," Michael grumbled as a swarm of men shoved their comic books at him.

"Oh come on, Mikey, you love it! Hot men throwing themselves at you, almost makes me nostalgic for the good old days," Brian said. He was wearing a tight _Rage_ costume that accentuated his muscular physique. Justin hadn't been able to keep his hands off.

"Careful, mister. Don't get _too_ nostalgic for the old days," Justin warned.

"Don't worry, Sunshine. My heart belongs to you," Brian assured him sarcastically.

"Good." Justin kissed him. "Let's go dance."

"Okay." Brian and Justin headed out to the dance floor.

Michael sighed and made his way to the bar. "A beer please," he said.

"Where's Ben?" Ted asked, joining Michael.

"He's on his way, he had some papers to grade."

"Then why do you look so happy?"

"Do I?"

"You do," Blake said, speaking for the first time.

"I figured some stuff out." Michael smiled.

"Okay." Ted shook his head. "We're going to go dance, do you want to join us?"

"No, thanks. I'll wait for Ben."

"Bye." Ted and Blake walked off.

The music was loud and Michael welcomed the temporary reprieve from his thoughts. He watched his friends dancing. _Who knows how long Ben will be? Get out there and shake that groove thing,_ he ordered himself. Michael took a deep breath and pushed his way through the crowd, stopping next to Brian and Justin. "Mind if I join in?" he asked.

"Not at all," Justin replied, standing back to make more room for Michael.

Together, the three of them danced, not a care in the world. _Why was I so upset before?_ Michael wondered, laughing for the first time in nearly a week. "It's good to see you laughing again, Mikey," Brian whispered into his ear.

"It's good to laugh," Michael replied. "I made up my mind about the thing." He'd looked around online a little and if he and Ben moved to Canada, Ben would most likely be out of a job. And if he did manage to find one, the salary would suck. He couldn't put Ben through that. He loved him too much.

"And?"

"I'm not going. I'll just have to toughen up. I did some research and Ben's salary wouldn't be as good there. Besides, if Ben and I moved to Toronto, I'd be driving Mel and Linz nuts."

"Yeah, then they'd be calling me telling me to get you the fuck out of there before Melanie kicks your ass." They both laughed.

Emmett squeezed between a pair dancing. "So, what do you think?" he asked Brian and Michael.

"It's great! It still amazes me how many fans we have!" Michael said jovially.

"Does it rise to your expectations Brian?" Emmett inquired when Brian didn't say anything.

"It definitely rises," Brian replied, kissing Justin's neck.

"Great." Emmett rolled his eyes jokingly at Michael and pulled him away. "So that's what I have to look forward to when Calvin and I are married?"

"And more. They look so happy, don't they?"

"Yeah," Emmett agreed, sighing contentedly.

"In fact, they seem happier than normal. I wonder what's up."

Emmett bit his tongue. _I know exactly what's up, they're having a baby!_ "I don't know. Must be love. And speaking of love," Emmett spotted Calvin through the crowd, "I just found mine. Excuse me."

"Go get him!" Michael encouraged.

"What was all that about?" Brian asked.

"Nothing. We were just talking about married life."

"Oh." Brian yawned.

"We were actually wondering why you and Justin look so happy tonight."

Brian paused and looked at Michael. "What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"I don't know, you two just seem...happier than usual."

"Maybe we should tell him," Justin suggested.

"Now? Brian asked.

"Why not? He _is_ your best friend; he should be the first to know."

"Know what?" Michael exclaimed.

Brian sighed. "Actually, he won't be the first to know. I let slip to Emmett..."

"It doesn't matter. You're the one who wants to keep it a secret," Justin said.

"Keep what a secret!" Michael continued, growing anxious.

"Okay, you tell him, I'm going to the bathroom," Brian announced, walking off.

"Will you tell me what's going on, please?" Michael begged.

Justin laughed mischievously. "All right," he relented. "I'll tell you. Brian and I are going to be parents."

"Seriously?" Michael's breath caught in his chest.

"Yeah. Daphne's going to be the mother."

"That baby is going to be so adorable! Who's going to be the father?"

"I am. Brian wants me to experience everything first hand."

"That's understandable, he has Gus. Just as long as you and Daphne don't actually sleep together." Michael laughed at the absurdity of the idea. Justin and Daphne having sex again? Ha!

"Actually, she'd prefer that we do it the old fashioned way." Justin chuckled.

"Oh, my God," Michael gasped, his heart dropping. "How does Brian feel about that?"

"He seems fine with it." Justin shrugged.

"Well, good luck. I don't think I could do it," Michael admitted. "It's too much like cheating for me to stomach."

Brian came back with two beers. "I see he told you," he said to Michael.

"Yeah. Congratulations!" Michael kissed Brian quickly. "You're gonna be a dad again."

"I guess so," Brian replied, not quite masking his joy.

"Now we're even."

"What is this a pissing contest?"

"Maybe." Michael grinned.

"It doesn't matter. If you want another kid, have one. Two's enough for me."

"Two! I was thinking at least three..." Justin teased.

Brian smacked Justin's backside. "Come on, Sunshine. All this baby talk is making me horny. Let's go pay a visit to the back room."

"Ooh," Justin replied, taking Brian's offered hand.

"Behave!" Michael called after them, shaking his head.

"Always do," Brian shot back.

"Yeah, right." He looked down at his watch. _Damn it Ben, where are you?_

Ben hurriedly ran the last half block, breathing heavily. _Shit, I'm late,_ he thought, hoping that Michael wouldn't be too upset with him. Glancing toward the entrance, Ben heaved a sigh of relief; the line to get in was very short. _Thank you God._ He got in line and caught his breath. "Ben! Honey!" He whirled around to see Debbie waving emphatically at him from her car.

"Deb. Hi," he replied, smiling. "I didn't know you were going to be here."

"And miss Michael and Sunshine's party? Not on your life!" She looped her arm through Ben's and together they moved closer to the door.

"Where's Carl?" Ben asked.

"He wasn't feeling up to coming tonight," Debbie explained. The doorman waved them through and they entered Babylon. "Wow!" she gasped. "What a turnout!"

"I'll say," Ben muttered, looking around for Michael.

"Where the fuck is Michael?" Deb asked.

"I don't know, I'm looking for him."

"Ben!" Michael called from the bar. He waved and smiled, until he saw Debbie.

"Hey, honey!" Debbie trilled, hugging him. "This is party is amazing!"

"Thanks, Ma," Michael said lamely, frowning.

"Hi," Ben said, leaning in to kiss his husband. "I'm sorry I'm late, I lost track of time."

"That doesn't matter anymore, you're here and I want to dance." Michael smiled and Ben felt his body temperature rise.

"We'll be back," Ben said to Debbie.

"I'll just be here, by the bar...alone," she replied, sitting down. The bartender turned to her. "A Screaming Orgasm," she said.

Michael and Ben found an empty spot on the dance floor. "It's weird seeing so many people in costume," Ben commented as they began to dance.

"I'm used it. I've been coming here since my senior year of high school, trust me, I've seen it all. And after the last _Rage_ party, nothing can shock me."

"You're in a good mood," Ben noted happily.

"Yes, I am, you know why?" Michael grinned.

"Why?"

"I've made up my mind about the moving thing."

"What did you decide?" Ben chuckled nervously.

"We're staying here. I'll just have to learn to be tough."

"Is that really what you want, though? I mean, don't stay here for me..."

"It is what I want. Pittsburgh has always been and will always will be my home. No matter what."

"You're incredible."

"So are you." They kissed. "What do you say we leave here early?"

"What did you have in mind?" Ben asked.

"Oh, you know..." Michael's eyes twinkled.

"That can be arranged," Ben replied, leading Michael off toward the exit.

As they passed the bar, Debbie jumped to her feet. "Where the hell are you two going?" she demanded.

"Home. I'm tired," Michael lied.

"You can't leave your party early! We're celebrating _Rage_, you two can go home and fuck any time."

"Thanks Ma," Michael scoffed, blushing.

"Come on, Michael. What would Brian and Sunshine say?"

"Not much. They're in the back room fucking as we speak."

"Then why don't you and Ben pop back there for a quickie and then come back out and party?"

Michael groaned. "Ma, I am not having this discussion with you. It's too...weird."

"Michael, please. I came down here to see you and celebrate your achievements. Just stay for a little while longer, please?" she begged.

"Fine. One hour."

"Yay!" Deb squealed and hugged both Michael and Ben. "Now get your butts back out on that dance floor and show these queens how it's really done!"

As Michael and Ben walked back, Ben muttered, "What was that you said about Pittsburgh being your home?"

"You think she's bad now, just imagine if we _had_ decided to move to Toronto. She'd be calling us every five minutes to make sure everything was okay. She drives me so crazy sometimes!"

"Still, you love her. She's your mother. What choice do you have?"

"What choice do I have?" Michael agreed with a sigh. "What's taking Brian and Justin so long back there?" he wondered, checking the time.

"I'm sure they're just enjoying it the fullest," Ben assured him.

"I don't know. Brian used to be back there an awful lot and even when he was 'enjoying it to the fullest,' he wasn't gone this long."

"What, do you think something bad happened to them back there?" Ben asked jokingly.

"No. No, you're right. I'm just being paranoid."

"I love it when you're paranoid," Ben murmured.

"Yeah?" As they kissed, Michael fiddled with Ben's belt. "How about we go see the back room? I haven't had sex back there in...Christ, too long."

"I-I don't know," Ben replied. "I'm not really one for public sex. Not anymore, anyway."

"Me neither, but you only live once, right?"

Ben let that sink in. "You're right, let's go." He grabbed Michael's hand and headed toward the corner housing the infamous back room. Once they stepped into the darkness and away from the deafening music, they could hear the passionate moaning and groaning coming from all around them.

Through the scant light, Ben saw Brian and Justin having sex against the wall. _Just the image I wanted in my head_, he thought. "What do you think?" he asked Michael, who was looking around at all the couples.

"Wow, it's even busier than usual back here," he commented, eyes wide in surprise.

"Michael," Ben put his hand on his shoulder. "Are you still with me?"

"Yeah, sorry. Squinting, he saw a vacant corner in the back, away from the light. As they walked, Michael saw Todd and Emmett's friend Alex going at it. "Hey, Todd. How's it going?" he asked.

"Fine," Todd gasped, managing a smile.

"This is kind of weird," Ben admitted.

"I agree, but if everyone else can have sex down here and not be bothered, why can't we?" Michael unbuttoned his pants and let them fall the ground.

* * *

Some time later, Brian and Justin went back up to the party. "That was hot," Justin said, rubbing Brian's back. "You look so good in your _Rage_ costume that you've got my hormones raging."

"Hopefully they'll still be raging when we get home," Brian replied.

"I'm sure they will."

Brian noticed that the majority of the men were eying up Justin. "You seem to be the main attraction tonight," he commented.

"Yeah? Well too bad for them, I've got my man. They'll just have to deal with it," Justin replied.

"Good answer."

"Besides, they're not interested in me for sex. This is a party to celebrate three years of _Rage_, they probably want my autograph."

"I suppose. Though, I'm sure there are some fan boys out their that would gladly suck your dick."

"Are you jealous?" Justin beamed.

Brian scoffed. "Me? Jealous? Yeah right." He shook his head "I can suck your dick whenever I want to. I could even do it right now if I wanted."

"Here? In front of all these people?" Justin asked, laughing.

"Yeah, better not. Your mom's supposed to show up, isn't she?"

"There she is," Justin pointed over to the bar. "She's talking to Debbie...and drinking."

"We'd probably go say hi before they hunt us down and Debbie smacks us," Brian said, sighing.

Together, they slowly made their way to the bar. "Hey, boys!" Deb exclaimed.

"Hi, Deb," Justin said with a smile. "Hi, Mom."

"Hi, honey. Great party," Jennifer replied.

"Thanks. It's all thanks to Emmett. And Brian, of course."

"Of course."

"I never knew _Rage_ was such a hit!" Deb remarked looking around the packed club.

"Neither did I," Jennifer agreed.

"I'd suggest reading it sometime but it's a little...graphic," Justin said, clearing his throat nervously.

"Oh." Jennifer averted her eyes.

Justin could sense her discomfort. "Come on, Mom, let's dance," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet.

"Oh, I don't know," she protested.

"Don't bother. It's best to just let him have his way," Brian suggested.

"You've learned that, too, huh?"

"Yeah." Brian chuckled. "What do you say, Deb?" he asked, extending his hand.

"It's been too long since I've danced with a guy as cute as you. Let's go!" She took the lead.

"Well, it's been awhile since I've danced with a woman, so I guess we're even," Brian joked.

They danced for a couple of songs and then Brian suggested that they trade partners so that he could dance with Justin. "Come on, Jen, let's show these queens what real dancing looks like!" Deb challenged.

"Okay," Jennifer shrugged and began to dance wildly with Debbie.

"Oh, my God, how much has she had to drink?" Justin asked unbelievingly.

"Now I know why she never has anything to drink when I offer it," Brian muttered.

Justin sighed. "You know what? I'm not going to let it bother me. She deserves to have fun and if this is her idea of fun, whatever."

"That's very mature of you," Brian said.

"Well despite the fact that she freaked a little when she found out I was gay, my mother has always been supportive, so what choice do I have but to reciprocate?"

"I like it when you reciprocate."

"Shut up." Justin laughed.

Ben and Michael started dancing next to them. "Where the fuck have you two been?" Brian asked, noticing Michael's flushed face and slightly disarrayed hair.

"Uhhh..." Michael fumbled for an explanation.

"Mikey, did you and the Professor slip into the back room for a little quickie?" Brian asked, grinning.

"Yes, okay?" Michael's face flushed red.

"About time."

"Can we change the subject now?"

"Whatever you say, Mikey," Brian replied, wrapping his arms around Justin and swaying to the music. After a few seconds, Ben and Michael began to dance too, both smiling happily.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **As moving day gets closer, Brian and Justin reminisce about the good times they've had at the loft. Justin is called into a meeting at PIFA with the Dean, which could spell trouble. Debbie and the others rally around Brian and Justin, giving the loft one final farewell.


	27. Last Night In the Loft

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **The loft sold and Daphne agreed to carry Brian and Justin's baby.

Michael opted to stay in Pittsburgh for Ben and Hunter.

Justin re-applied at PIFA and got accepted.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Six

The next week, Brian and Justin were finishing up packing everything. "Wow," Justin commented looking around at the almost empty apartment. "This is depressing." He laughed "You know, I used to think that the only way this place would ever be this empty is if you died or something."

"Me, too," Brian confessed, laughing.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I never planned on living anywhere else. It was only ever going to be just me and there wasn't much sense in buying a big house for one person."

"Good point. Thankfully I came along."

Brian smiled. "Do you remember the time we fucked on the chair and you dripped ice cream all over me?" He pointed over to where the chair had once been.

"Yes!" Justin laughed. "I had to force you to eat the ice cream by telling you that my mother thought that you were too skinny."

"Yeah." Brian laughed.

Justin moved to stand by the stove. "Right here is where we kissed for the first time."

"You were so scared I thought you were going to pass out."

"I was not!"

"Please, you were practically pissing yourself."

Justin laughed. "What about right here at the bar where you asked me to move back in with you?"

"Or in the bedroom where we fucked for the last time before you went to New York."

"I remember." Justin frowned. He had been so confused that night. He had wanted to stay with Brian, but knew that he couldn't. It had killed him to leave.

"I didn't think you were coming back," Brian confessed.

"You didn't?" Justin couldn't disguise the hurt in his voice.

"I'd hoped you would, but come on, let's face it, as much as I want to deny it, I can't; I'm getting older."

"Brian, you're thirty-four..."

"Thirty-three," Brian corrected.

"Okay, for now you're thirty-three, but your birthday is coming up."

"Don't remind me." Brian frowned.

"Why is it that every time I leave, you think I'm never coming back? I told you that I'd be back."

Brian shrugged. "I wouldn't blame you if you'd stayed in New York. There are plenty of young, hot men there..."

"Brian, I don't want hot, young men. I want you," Justin insisted, squeezing Brian's hand.

"And I want you." Brian smiled. "What's next?"

"Here," Justin moved to stand in middle of the room, "is where..." As he thought of the memory, a lump formed in his throat.

"What?" Brian asked.

"Never mind." He shook his head to erase the memory.

"Tell me."

"Where I told you that even though I loved you, I couldn't be in a relationship with someone who had different goals than I did. I wanted a family and marriage, and you didn't." He couldn't meet Brian's gaze. Tears formed in his eyes but he quickly wiped them away.

"Sunshine, relax. You were right to do what you did, I don't hold it against you." Justin didn't say anything. "Over there is where I pissed on your _Rage _sketches," Brian said, hoping to lighten the mood.

Justin laughed. "I remember that. I was so pissed at you!"

"I was pretty pissed, too." They both burst out laughing, clutching their sides.

"We've had some good times here," Justin said. "I'm going to miss it."

"Just think of your studio at the new house. You don't have that here."

"And the stables. We could get pretty kinky in the stables," Justin smiled and leaned in to kiss Brian.

"You have a very perverted mind, you know that?" Brian teased.

"I learned from the best."

"I'd take you to the bed and fuck you silly, but the bed's gone," Brian said disappointedly.

"We could always do it here, on the floor. We've done it before," Justin reminded him, starting to unbutton his shirt.

"How about we finish packing first?"

"Suit yourself."

Justin grabbed another box and began to put the plates and silverware in it. "Thank God for plastic silverware and paper plates," he muttered.

"We've only got one more day here," Brian said. "I'm sure we can make it."

"Hopefully that air mattress Debbie leant us is comfortable, last night it took me forever to fall asleep."

"If you'd just listened to me and kept the couch cushions here instead of packing them up, we could've put them under us and maybe you would've gotten some sleep."

Justin laughed. "Listen to us; bickering like an old married couple."

"Oh, God. Shoot me now," Brian groaned.

"Let's make a promise right here and now that we won't ever fight. If something's bothering us, we'll calmly tell the other about it and deal within in a respectable, mature way. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Brian kissed Justin and picked him up.

"Agreed!" Justin exclaimed, laughing. "God, you're so strong! My big strong man!"

"Where the fuck are the sheets?" Brian demanded, looking around furiously.

"I packed them up already. Sorry."

"Fuck it," Brian carried Justin over to the bedroom. He set him down on the air mattress and started taking his clothes off.

"Wait! I thought we had to finish packing first," Justin said, mocking Brian.

"I changed my mind."

"Well in that case..." Justin smiled and rolled over onto his stomach. "Let's do it."

Brian gave a short bark of laughter. "Be careful what you wish for," he warned.

"I can handle it," Justin assured him.

"Okay." Brian entered him slowly; Justin gasped. He began to move his hips as he tenderly kissed the back of Justin's neck, causing goose bumps to rise all over his skin. "I want you to remember this when you're fucking Daphne," Brian whispered.

"Don't worry, I'll be thinking about you the whole time," Justin murmured.

Brian continued to move his hips, holding onto Justin's thighs. When at last they both climaxed, they lay back on the mattress, panting heavily. Justin rested his head on Brian's arm and draped his arms over his chest. "When is it going to happen?" Brian asked a few minutes later.

"What?"

"The thing with Daphne."

"Daphne's monitoring her cycle. She said she'd call when she's ovulating."

"Enough talk about ovulating and cycles, I'm losing my hard on," Brian joked.

Justin chuckled. "What would you rather talk about?"

"How about this?" Brian began to kiss Justin's chest, slowly making his way down his torso. When he took Justin into his mouth, he could feel Justin's back arch. _Well, what do you know?_ he thought, _my hard on's back._

_

* * *

_

The next morning, Justin was asked to meet with the Dean. He entered the office, picking his nails nervously. "Mr. Taylor," the Dean said, motioning for Justin to sit down.

"Dean," he said by way of greeting.

"Please, call me George."

"Fine. George."

"Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I called you here." George crossed his legs.

"Yes." Justin held his breath, his heart beating wildly. _I've been getting good grades and staying out of trouble, what could his problem be?_

"As you're aware your last internship didn't exactly go as planned."

Justin let out the breath that he'd been holding. "Oh." _This again!_

"I've talked to the Director of the Internship Program and we both agree that it's important for you to redo your internship this summer. Your future at the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts depends on this internship."

"I'm aware of that."

"We're letting you choose the firm you want to work with. You need to let us know now which firm you want to intern at. Otherwise, you'll miss the cutoff and will have to fulfill the requirement in the fall. "

Justin thought for a second. "I don't know if this is allowed, but there's a firm called Kinnetik..."

"The one owned by your boyfriend, Mr. Kinney?" He scoffed

"Actually, we're married now," Justin corrected.

"I see." George cleared his throat.

"Is there something wrong?" Justin asked.

"Not at all. Since you and Mr. Kinney are 'married,' I don't see why you couldn't do your internship with his firm..."

"Thank you!"

"As long as you promise to keep it professional."

"Not a problem," Justin assured him. "We're both mature adults."

"Right. Well now that that's out of way, you can go."

"Thanks," Justin muttered on his way out the door.

Brian was waiting for him in the car. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"Remember how I told you that they're making me redo my internship this summer?"

"Yeah."

"They said I need to pick a firm soon or I won't be able to attend class in the fall."

"Where are you going to do it?"

"Actually, I was hoping you would let me do with your firm."

"You did, huh?" Brian smiled.

"Please?" Justin begged.

"Okay. We need extra help anyway. Cynthia's getting sick of getting my coffee," Brian joked.

"There's a catch."

"What?"

"We have to keep it 'professional.' That means no sex in the office."

"I'm sure we can manage that."

They pulled up outside the diner. "This is my stop," Justin said, unbuckling his seat belt. He leaned across the seat and kissed Brian. "I'll see you after work."

"I'll be waiting in the car," Brian confirmed.

"Bye."

"Later." Justin watched Brian drive off.

Content, Justin stepped into the diner. His good mood was stifled when he saw how packed it was. _This is going to be a barrel of laughs_, he thought, putting on his apron. "Sunshine!" Debbie called.

"Yes?" he spun around to see her taking orders in one of the corner booths.

"Thank God you showed up today. Apparently, everybody's got the fucking flu so it's just you and me working today."

"Everyone?" Justin asked incredulously.

"You bet your hot little ass."

"Wow. Did you try Hunter?"

"He's got a class until three," Debbie replied rolling her eyes.

Justin grabbed the coffee pot and hurriedly gave all the customers a refill. He was technically a busboy, but today he would have to step up. "Can I order now?" a man demanded.

"One second, sir," Justin replied, putting the coffee pot back. "Okay, what can I get you?"

"About fucking time!"

"Hey chill the fuck out okay? If you don't like it, hit the road!" Debbie shot back, hands on her hips.

The man shut up. "Thanks, Deb," Justin said, grinning appreciatively.

"Anytime, Sunshine. Someone's got to show these people who's boss." She disappeared into the back.

Debbie grabbed the phone and called Michael. "Is everything ready for tonight?" she asked when he picked up.

"Yep. We'll meet you there," Michael replied.

"See you tonight." She hung up.

* * *

Justin was thankful when his shift was finally over. He got into the car and closed his eyes. "Rough day at the office, dear?" Brian asked snidely.

"I don't want to talk about it," Justin replied. Brian took the hint and kept quiet.

When they got back to the loft, Brian unlocked the door and turned on the lights. They'd cleared everything out of the apartment except for the mattress. Justin slipped out of his clothes and lay down, getting under the covers. Brian was about to join him when there was a knock at the door. "Don't answer it," Justin grumbled.

Brian was going to ignore it, but whoever was on the other side of the door was persistent. "All right!" he shouted, rolling his eyes. When he opened the door, he was practically knocked to the ground as Deb, Carl, Michael, Ben, Hunter, Emmett, Calvin, Ted, and Blake forced their way in. "What the fuck is going on?" he asked.

"You didn't think we were going to let you walk away from this place without a goodbye party did you?" Michael asked.

Debbie set down some trays of food and looked at Justin. "Oh, I hope we aren't interrupting anything," she said, laughing.

"No," Justin replied, quickly grabbing his clothes and disappearing into the bathroom.

"We figured this place had too much history to let it slip away quietly. We're going out with a bang!" Emmett exclaimed, pulling out some CDs.

"We don't have a CD player," Brian told him.

"That's okay, because I have one in the car!" Emmett went out to get it.

"Excuse me for a second," Brian mumbled, going into the bathroom to find Justin.

Justin was finishing getting dressed. "Well, this is a surprise," he said quietly.

"Do you want me to get rid of them?" Brian asked.

"No, they're just trying to be nice. I'll survive."

"Are you sure?" Justin nodded.

Arm-in-arm, they stepped out. "We thought you two were back there fucking!" Debbie exclaimed.

"Sorry to disappoint," Brian replied. "Besides, it takes me more than two minutes to cum."

"It does," Justin backed him up.

"Now that you're here, let the party begin," Emmett trilled turning on the CD player. Babylon-esque music blared out of the speakers. He grabbed Calvin and they began to dance.

Michael left Ben and Hunter with Debbie. "So, what do you think?" he asked.

"I should've known you'd do something like this," Brian replied, wrapping his other arm around Michael.

"Well you've only lived here for the past ten years! I remember when you first bought this place: you brought everyone from Babylon back here and we partied all night. I had to work the next morning and you wouldn't let me leave!"

"A party's not a party without Mikey," Brian insisted.

"That's what you said that night."

"It sounds like a hell of a party," Justin commented.

"It was. I don't know how we made it through the night without getting arrested. Things got pretty crazy."

"They didn't get t_hat_ crazy." Brian rolled his eyes at Michael's dramatics.

"Like you'd remember! You were drugged out of your mind on E; I'm surprised you can remember it all."

"Quit bickering and start dancing!" Debbie ordered.

"Whatever you say, Deb," Brian replied, pulling Justin and Michael in close and swaying to the music.

"Mind if I cut in?" Ben asked, holding out his hand.

"Not at all, Professor." Brian took the opportunity to put both arms around Justin. "Just think: by this time tomorrow, we will officially be moved into the new house."

"Thank God we already got most of the stuff cleared out of here. Moving is exhausting, and we haven't even done all that much!"

"We just got to sit around and watch the hot, ripped moving guys carry the boxes around. What could be better than that?"

"I can't think of anything."

Ted and Blake sat on the floor, eating. "You know, I've never seen this place before. It's nice," Blake said, looking around.

"Yes, it is. It's a shame that Brian sold it, now the rest of us won't be able to come over and drool over it," Ted replied.

"Wait until you see the new house," Brian said. "You'll blow a load in your pants."

"I'm sure." Ted shook his head.

"Speaking of the new house," Deb said, "when are you having your housewarming party?"

"Another party?" Brian and Justin groaned in unison.

"Since when don't you like parties?"

"Forget it. We're both just exhausted."

"Suck it up. I know you're both willing and able to do that!"

"Ma!" Michael shook his head.

"What? It's true!"

Before anyone could say anything else, "Believe" came on. "I love this song!" Emmett exclaimed, lightening the mood.

Brian and Justin went back to dancing and Debbie laughed. "Queens," she muttered.

"Come on, Grandma, let's dance," Hunter suggested.

"About time someone asked me to dance!"

Everybody began to dance and when the song ended, no one noticed. They switched partners intermittently and by the time the sun came up, everyone was exhausted. Deb and Carl were passed out on the mattress, and Hunter was fighting keep his eyes open. "That was some party," Brian said.

The moving team were set to begin work in a few hours. After everyone left, Brian and Justin fell down on the air mattress, asleep before their heads hit the pillow.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin move into their new house. Ted and Emmett go suit shopping. Emmett meets his new client. Ted shocks Michael and Emmett at Babylon.


	28. Moving Day

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and the others gave the loft one final goodbye bash.

Justin met with the Dean at PIFA. He agreed to allow Justin to complete his summer internship at Kinnetik.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Seven

When Justin woke up a few hours later, he had a splitting headache. _That is the last time I stay up all night partying,_ he thought, rubbing his head. He looked over at Brian's sleeping form. Closing his eyes again, Justin scooted closer to Brian, who turned so that he was facing him, putting his arms around him. _I could lie like this forever,_ Justin thought with a contented sigh.

The next time Justin opened his eyes, Brian was awake, staring at the ceiling. "Hey," he whispered, kissing the side of Brian's neck.

"I feel like shit," Brian groaned, shading his eyes from the bright sunlight flooding in through the window. "This is one of the worst hangovers I've ever had."

"Me, too. I don't want to get out of bed."

"Unfortunately we have to. The movers will be here soon."

"Thank God the shower's still here," Justin grumbled sitting up.

The hot water from the shower did little to ease their migraines, but at least they were more alert. As he walked out of the bathroom, Justin turned and gave it one last look. Sadly, he followed Brian into the depressingly empty bedroom. Just as they finished getting dressed and ready, the movers knocked on the door. Brian let them in and helped Justin pull the sheets off the air mattress and fold them up. "I can't wait to sleep in a real bed again," he said. "My back is killing me."

"What are we going to do with the mattress? It won't fit in the car."

"Michael's going to come by later and pick it up."

Justin couldn't help noticing that the new owner's furniture, what little he could see of it anyway, was not nearly as nice as Brian's. _This place is sure going downhill,_ he thought glumly.

"Are we all set?" he asked, gathering up his scant belongings.

"Yep. It's time to go," Brian replied, setting his keys on the counter. He opened the door and waved Justin through.

"Wait," Justin said, "I want to give it one last look."

"You are so sentimental sometimes." Brian shook his head and stepped aside.

Justin looked over every detail of the main room, burning it into his memory. _This will always be home,_ he thought. "Okay, I'm ready." He followed Brian out the door.

"Fuck, I forgot something, I'll meet you by the car," Brian said, opening the door again.

"Okay, I'll start the car." Brian threw him the keys and Justin got in the elevator.

When he was sure that Justin was out of sight, Brian stepped back into the loft. He hadn't actually forgotten anything, he just wanted to bid the loft adieu by himself.

"We had some good times," he muttered. "Thanks for the memories. Bye." Taking a deep breath, he turned and walked out for the last time.

The car was idling and Justin had already loaded it up. "Can I drive?" he asked. Brian laughed in response. "Come on, I've had my licence since I was sixteen. Please?"

"I love you, but no," Brian replied.

"Why not?"

"God, will you stop whining? You sound like a child." He playfully spanked Justin.

"If you let me drive, I'll be quiet."

"Nice try. No one drives my car but me."

"You let Michael drive it," Justin shot back, raising his eyebrows.

"That was different."

"Really? How is it different?"

Brian sighed. "Here." Defeated, he handed the car keys over to Justin.

"Thank you!" Justin kissed him excitedly and got into the driver's seat.

"Be careful. Any damage you cause is coming out of your ass!"

"I'll be extra careful," Justin promised, pulling away from the curb.

The ride to the new house went better than Brian had expected; Justin was a good driver. When they pulled up in the driveway, Brian got out and unlocked the front door. "Home sweet home," he said.

"I'm glad that everything's already set up. There is no way I could be moving furniture right now," Justin replied, hauling a few bags up to the bedroom. Brian followed him.

On his way through, Justin set the bags down and opened the door of the nursery. _Pretty soon this room will be full of baby stuff,_ he thought with a smile. "What are you thinking about?" Brian asked.

"That in less than a year, there'll be a baby in this room," Justin replied.

"First, we have to make a trip to the bedroom."

Their bedroom was a lot different to the one in the loft. For one thing, it was about double the size of the old one and everything was white. _I'll have to get started painting all the walls,_ Justin thought, sighing with exhaustion. Brian massaged Justin's shoulders and kissed his neck. "We haven't officially fucked in here yet," he murmured, gently nudging Justin toward the bed.

"No, we haven't." Justin climbed up onto the bed and pulled Brian down next to him. "I have a feeling that's all about to change."

"Where would you get an idea like that?"

They both took off their clothes and lay down. Climbing up onto Brian's chest, Justin pulled the blankets up over them.

* * *

Ted sighed for what must have been the billionth time in the last hour. "Emmett, come on already!" he said.

"Just hang on a minute," Emmett replied from behind the curtain.

"My lunch break is almost over, I have to get back to work."

"Why are you working today? Brian took the day off."

"Brian can do that, he owns the company," Ted reminded him.

"One more minute," Emmett promised.

Despite Ted's protestations, Emmett had insisted that they go suit shopping for the wedding. Ted hated clothes shopping and especially hated shopping for suits, because he could never find one that he truly liked.

Emmett pulled the curtain back and stepped out. "So, what do you think?" he asked, striking a pose. He was dressed in a pink suit with a pink tie, pink dress shirt, and pink shoes.

"Uh..." Ted was speechless.

"Well?" Emmett asked, looking at himself in the mirror.

"It's very pink," Ted said.

"It's not too pink, is it?"

"No." Ted shook his head. "I think it suits you."

"I think it's nice. Do you think Calvin will like it?"

"If you like it, I'm sure he will."

"Thanks, Teddy." Emmett smiled.

"Anytime, Em."

Emmett went back behind the curtain and changed into his regular clothes. "I'm going to get it," he announced, setting it on the chair. "Now, what about you?"

"I don't know, Em..."

"Teddy, come on! This is fun!"

"If you say so."

"Come on, let's at least look," Emmett insisted, perusing the selection. Ted found a plain white suit. "Honey, no." Emmett shook his head dramatically. "Let's keep looking."

"I suck at this! Maybe I just don't have that gay gene."

"Sweetie, we _all_ have that gay gene, sometime it just takes a little push to make it come out," Emmett assured him.

Ted stopped looking when he found a nice black suit. "What do you think about this one?" he asked, holding it up for Emmett to see.

"Gorgeous! See? I told you! Go, try it on!"

"Quickly," Ted reminded him, disappearing behind the curtain. A few seconds later, he stepped out, blushing. "What do you think?" he asked.

Emmett gasped. "Teddy, you look amazing!"

"Really?" Ted asked, grinning.

"Would I lie?"

"No." Ted looked at himself in the mirror. "You're right. I look sharp."

"Who needs Anthony Marantino when you've got me?" Emmett joked.

"Who?"

"Anthony Marantino, from _Sex and the City?_" Emmett said it as though it was something that everybody should know.

"I've never watched it," Ted replied, straightening his tie.

"Well, he's a wedding planner; he helped Charlotte with both of her weddings."

"Oh. He can't be that good if she had to get married twice," Ted quipped.

"He's _very _good at his job," Emmett insisted.

"Okay."

"Let's just say I make him look like an amateur." Emmett smiled.

"Well, you've got my vote." Emmett gave Ted a quick peck on the cheek.

They went up to the check-out counter and paid for their suits. "Thank God Brian isn't at work today, he won't notice that I'm late," Ted said.

"Like he'd do anything anyway. He wouldn't fire you," Emmett replied.

"Don't be so sure."

"Actually, I have to get going, too. I have to meet the Blacks again. I've never done a First Communion before, this should be interesting."

"If nothing else, they'll be thankful that you introduced Alex and Todd, they've been inseparable since last week."

"Really? That's great!"

"Yeah. I see them together every night Babylon. They go back to the back room almost as much as Brian did back in his prime."

"Wow. It looks like Alex is over his ex, then." Emmett's cell phone rang. "Excuse me sweetie," he said, answering it.

Ted payed for his suit and waited for Emmett by the door. Emmett hung up and turned to Ted. "Is everything okay?" Ted asked.

"Yeah. The Blacks just wanted to confirm that I'm still coming over. I have to run. Ta!" he blew Ted a kiss and rushed out of the store.

"Bye." Ted shook his head and watched Emmett hurry down the street.

* * *

Emmett arrived at the Black's house a few minutes early. Usually, he wasn't nervous about meeting clients, but this time, he more nervous that he'd ever been in his life. _What do I know about First Communions? I'm not even Catholic!_ He took deep, calming breaths to stop himself from vomiting. _Of all the days to leave the bottle of Xanax at home!_

Glancing at the clock, he got out of the car and walked up the path to the front door. Just as he was about to ring the doorbell, the door was pulled open. "Emmett honey!" Joanne cooed, pulling him into a tight embrace. "How lovely to see you!"

"You, too, Joanne," Emmett replied, forcing himself to smile.

"Come on in, darling, Jackie and Jessica are in the parlor. They are just _dying_ meet you!"

"Jackie and Jessica? Do all the women in your family have name's that start with 'j?'" Emmett asked.

"It's a family tradition," Joanne assured him, taking his arm and leading him into the parlor.

There was a woman and little girl sitting on the couch. _They all look alike,_ Emmett noted. 'Hi, I'm Emmett Honeycutt." He offered to his hand to Jackie, who shook it and smiled.

"It's so nice to meet you, Emmett. Mom talks about you all the time, she says you're _fabulous_."

"I have been called that once or twice." Emmett laughed.

"This is my daughter, Jessica." Jackie waved toward the dark haired girl sitting next to her.

"How are you, sweetie?" Emmett asked.

"Why do you talk so funny?" Jessica asked.

"Jessica!" Jackie gasped.

"It's okay," Emmett assured her, laughing once more.

"No it isn't. Jessica, you apologize right now!"

"I'm sorry," the girl grumbled.

"It's fine, really." _Bitch_, Emmett thought. "Okay, so tell me how you want the party."

Jackie cleared her throat. "We want something simple yet elegant. Not too over the top, she's only seven after all. It's only going to be close friends and family so there won't be _too_ many guests; thirty maximum. You see what I'm saying?"

"Clearly," Emmett replied, smiling again.

"Don't worry, dear. You have absolutely nothing to worry about with Emmett." Joanne patted his arm.

After discussing the details a little more, Emmett was shown to the door. "I'll be in touch," Jackie promised.

"I'll be waiting," Emmett replied, shooting Jessica a dirty look when no one was looking.

"Isn't she just darling?" Joanne asked.

"She's...wonderful," Emmett forced himself to say. _If I was doing this as a favor, I'd ruin the little brat's party; make a fool of her._

Joanne followed Emmett outside. "Thank you so much for doing this. There's no one I trust more than you to ensure that Jessica's party is anything but a success."

"Well thank you the recommendation, it means a lot to me to know that the customers are satisfied."

"Okay dear, I'll see you later." Joanne gave him a quick hug.

"Bye." Emmett waved as he got in the car. _I need to go Babylon_, he thought._ It's the only way I'll calm down enough to be able to do this job without wringing that little girl's neck!_

_

* * *

_

Michael had decided to go to Babylon. Ben was feeling a little under the weather and had gone to bed early. When Michael had offered to stay home and take care of him, Ben had insisted that he go out and have a good time.

As soon as Michael walked in the door, he saw Emmett at the bar, drinking. _Oh good, a drinking buddy,_ he thought. Now that Brian and Justin were in West Virginia, Babylon wouldn't be quite the same, though Brian had promised to come to Babylon on weekends. Michael's thoughts shifted back a couple of days to when he'd gone to Brian's loft to pick up his mother's air mattress. Seeing the loft completely devoid of all of Brian's things and filled with someone else's cheap and tacky furniture had broken Michael's heart. _This was Brian's place_, he'd thought, _now's it some cheesy pleasure palace for some loser with poor taste._

He shook his head to bring himself back to reality. _Don't be so sentimental_, he chided himself, _I'm sure Brian walked out without so much as a glance over his shoulder._ Michael realized just how much he missed his best friend. _You'll see him tomorrow! It isn't like you're still in love with him for Christ's sake._

Emmett turned and saw him, but didn't smile. "You didn't get the job?" Michael asked, reaching out a sympathetic hand.

"No, I got the job," Emmett replied.

"Then what's with the doom and gloom? I thought you'd be ecstatic."

"I was...until I met the client."

"That bad, huh?"

"And then some. She asked me why I talk so funny." Emmett rolled his eyes.

Michael laughed quietly. "Emmett, the girl is seven years old, cut her a break."

"Do you have any idea how humiliating that was? I felt like I did when I was in high school and people used to tease me cause I don't sound like Pierce Brosnan."

"British?"

"I don't have a deep voice."

"Emmett, she didn't mean anything by it. She was just curious."

"You don't understand, Michael. You _can't _understand. You're not obviously gay, you can pass as straight. For those of us who can't the last thing we need is to have it rubbed in our face."

"I'm sorry Em, you're right." Michael put his arm around him, but Emmett was still upset. "She's a little cunt!" Michael exclaimed. Emmett laughed.

"Thank, Michael. Hey, do you wanna dance?"

"Sure."

The dance floor was not as packed as it usually was, so they had no problem finding a spot to dance. "It's Ted's first official night as owner," Emmett said.

"Oh, yeah! Where is he? I want to congratulate him."

"I haven't seen him. I saw Blake, but he disappeared before I could ask him."

"You don't...think they're in the back room, do you?" Michael asked, laughing at the absurdity of it. Ted had gone to the back room a few times, but not enough for it to be considered normal.

"No!" Emmett laughed as well. "Teddy's the last guy you'd find coming out of the back room."

To prove his point, Emmett turned toward the back room just in time to see Ted and Blake coming out, holding hands. "Oh, my God!" Emmett exclaimed.

"What?" Michael asked and turned to look. "Oh, my God!"

"I guess we were wrong," Emmett muttered, blinking in confusion. "Is it possible?"

"Apparently it is. Wow, my mind if officially blown. Too bad Brian wasn't here to see this."

"Tell me about it, Brian would probably shit himself."

Ted spotted them and led Blake over. "Hey, guys!" he said, smiling.

"Hi," Michael replied, trying hard to stop from laughing.

"Teddy, did I just see come out of the back room?" Emmett asked.

"Yes, you did," Ted replied calmly.

"Good for you!" Emmett clapped him on the back. "It's about time you went back there, isn't it fabulous?"

"I'll say," Ted agreed. "We'll see you guys later, I have to go check in with the bartender." Ted and Blake walked away. Michael and Emmett stood with their mouths open, completely shocked.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Justin starts working on his next masterpiece. Ted decides to bring some glamour to Babylon.


	29. Live Entertainment

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **After one last farewell party, Brian and Justin moved out of the loft and into Britin Manor.

Ted bought Babylon from Brian.

Ted and Emmett- both engaged - began planning a double wedding.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Justin was grateful for a day off. Brian had left early that morning for work, so Justin was home alone. He'd decided to start painting their bedroom as a surprise for Brian. _What color will he like?_ Justin wondered, looking at the myriad of colors that Brian had bought. When his eyes fell upon the blue can, he knew that that was the right color. _The bedroom in the loft had a blue the_ Justin reminded himself.

While he painted, Justin began to think about his artwork. Now that they were settled into the new place and he had his very own cozy studio, it was about time he got to work on the masterpiece that would hopefully make him famous and earn him enough money to take Brian to Sydney for Gay Mardi Gras. _Maybe I'll buy him his own Gucci or Armani store, too,_ Justin thought.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't realize that he was done with the first layer of paint right away. _Time flies when you're daydreaming_. Justin got off of the stepladder and went into the bathroom to wash the paint off his hands. He was starving and eating food with paint on his hands didn't sound particularly appetizing. On his way out, he opened the window to help air the room out and dry the paint faster.

When he got downstairs, Justin put some leftover lasagna in the oven and went into his studio. A fresh canvas was waiting for him, calling to him. Picking up his paintbrush, he dipped it into the red paint and started making random strokes. His imagination took over and it was as though he had no real control over his hand.

Justin had set the alarm on his cell phone to go off when the lasagna needed to be taken out of the oven. The loud ringing broke his concentration and sighing, he set the brush down. _Every time my muse shows up, I'm needed elsewhere._ He went into the kitchen and pulled the food out. While it was cooling, he ran upstairs to check on the bedroom; the paint was dry.

After eating, Justin had to force himself to go back to painting the bedroom. He really wanted to go back into his studio and work on his new painting, but he knew that in the scheme of things, getting the bedroom painted was more important. To entertain him while he worked, he turned on the radio to full blast.

Hours passed by. When Justin looked out the window, the sun was low in the sky. _Brian'll be_ _home soon_. _He'll be glad that I got the bedroom done,_ he thought, turning the radio off. He washed the blue paint off once more and then moved all of the painting equipment into the next room over––the nursery. _Maybe Brian will let me paint bunnies or something on the wall_, Justin thought with a smile. Yeah, right.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang. "Hello?" Justin managed to get the phone out of his pocket while juggling his equipment.

"Hey, it's me." _God he sounds so sexy!_

"Hey, Brian." He set down the stepladder.

"I just wanted to let you know that I was running a little late at work, but I'm leaving the office right now. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. You're never going to guess what I did today!" Justin could barely contain his excitement.

"Do I want to know?"

"You'll see when you it when you get home. I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I will. Do you want to pick up anything for dinner? I could stop and get take-out from the Thai place," Brian suggested.

"If you want to. It doesn't really matter to me."

"Okay I'll pick some up then. The usual?"

"That's fine. I can't wait to see you."

"Me neither. I love you." Justin's heart beat faster.

"Love you, too. Bye."

"Bye." Brian disconnected.

Smiling, Justin put the phone back in his pocket and turned the light off in the nursery.

Since Brian was going to be late and was bringing food home, he had a little extra time to work on his masterpiece.

* * *

Brian put the car in park and got out, juggling his briefcase, the keys, and the take-out bags. _I feel like a goddamn octopus_, he thought. Balancing the food on top of his briefcase, he managed to unlock the front door. "I'm home," he called, kicking the door shut behind him. No response. "Sunshine," Brian said, looking around. Still no answer.

He dropped the food off in the kitchen and went upstairs, expecting to find Justin painting one of the rooms. When he turned the light on in their bedroom, he paused. The walls that had been white when he left that morning were now a dark navy blue. _It's almost like the loft,_ he thought, grinning. _It feels like home already._

Brian checked every square inch of the second floor before trying the first floor. He already knew that Justin wasn't in the kitchen or dining room, and chances were that he wasn't in the gym or Brian's office. He opened the door to Justin's studio. There he was, back to the door, intensely making brush strokes on the canvas. "Justin," he said.

Justin gasped and whirled around. "Brian, you scared the shit out of me!" he said, his hand flying to his chest. He took a few calming breaths.

"Sorry. I've just spent the last fifteen minutes looking all over the goddamn house for you."

"Why didn't you shout for me?"

"I did. Twice."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I'm just so wrapped up in my..." He turned to the canvas.

"What is it?" Brian asked, moving closer.

"No!" Justin stood in front of the canvas so that Brian couldn't see any of it. "You can't see it yet!"

"Okay." Brian held his hands up in surrender. "Since when do you care if anyone sees your work before it's finished?"

Justin chewed his lip in thought. "I don't know. Something tells me not to jinx this. I have a really good feeling about this painting for some reason."

"Whatever. Dinner's here if you're hungry."

"Okay. Thanks." Justin threw an old towel over the canvas and stood on his tiptoes to kiss Brian. "I'm sorry you had to go all over hell's half acre to find me."

"I was starting to panic," Brian admitted, laughing.

"Why?"

"Well we are kind of isolated out here. I thought maybe something had happened..."

"You don't have to worry about that. When did you become so paranoid?" Justin asked, teasing. Brian gave him a light tap on the backside.

"Ooh!"

They went into the kitchen and Brian grabbed the take-out. Sitting at the dinner table, he said, "I saw the bedroom."

"Oh. I hope blue's okay. I thought since the old bedroom was blue-ish that you'd like it." Justin smiled.

"It looks nice. I can't believe you got the whole room done in one day."

"One day is a long time when you have nothing else to do," Justin reminded him.

"You'll have the whole upstairs done before you know it. I guess we'll have to have that housewarming party soon, Michael's been bugging the fuck out of me about when everyone's going to be able to see the house."

"Yeah, my mom brought it up when we talked the other day."

"To be honest, I'm not really looking forward to having a whole bunch of people over. I'm still exhausted from the other night."

"Getting old is a bitch, huh?"

Brian threw a piece of shrimp at him. "I am _not _getting old," he insisted, laughing.

"Whatever you say. So, did you talk to Michael today?"

"Yeah. He told me that he saw Ted and Blake coming out of the back room at Babylon the other night." Brian raised his right eyebrow.

"Are you kidding?" Brian shook his head. "Wow. I don't know what to say. I mean, I know after he had his plastic surgery, Ted went back there once or twice...but it's been awhile."

"I just can't picture it. I mean, it's _Theodore_."

"He's the last person I'd expect to go back there."

"It takes all kinds I suppose."

After dinner, Justin hurried back to his studio. Brian had some work to finish, so he went into his new office, right next door. The office was furnished with the laptop and table that Brian had had in the loft. Booting up the computer, Brian sat in the chair, stretching. He felt a familiar tightening in his pants. Smirking, he got up and opened the door to Justin's studio. Work could wait.

Justin was hunched over his canvas, rubbing his hair. _He must've hit a dry spot_, Brian thought, coming up behind Justin and wrapping his arms around him. Justin moaned quietly. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked, grinning.

"What do you think it is?" Brian shot back, kissing Justin's neck.

"Let's do it here," Justin said, turning around to face Brian, "right in front of the fireplace."

"If you insist." Justin pulled him down onto the floor.

* * *

Ted and Emmett were hanging out on the second floor catwalk of Babylon. "You know what I think this place needs?" Ted asked, sipping his cranberry spritzer.

"Less bears and more studs?" Emmett quipped.

"No! Some live entertainment."

"That could be cool," Emmett agreed.

"But who would we get to play here? Who would you, as a customer, like to see perform here?"

Emmett thought for a second. "Cyndi Lauper was amazing, but I doubt we'd be able to get her back here after last time."

"Yeah, bombs going off have a way of doing that," Ted said dryly.

"I wouldn't say that. She's from Queens. She's a tough cookie."

"Still…"

"What about Madonna?"

"Madonna?" Ted scoffed. Yeah, _that_ was going to happen.

"Yeah! Couldn't you see her down there Voguing!" Emmett imitated Madonna. "Strike a pose."

"You are too much sometimes, Em."

"Okay fine, not Madonna. What about Liza?"

"Minnelli?"

"Do you know any other Lizas?"

"You're kidding, right?"

"No."

Ted took another sip of his drink. "I don't know, maybe it's not such a good idea after all."

"Of course it is, Teddy. We just have to find the right performer."

"I guess. Maybe I'll ask Brian tomorrow at work," Ted mused.

"I still say Madonna. Think about it; she's a gay icon, she's a diva, who could be better?" Emmett asked.

"We'll see. I don't know if I could afford to have her perform here," Ted admitted. Madonna would probably cost a fortune, a star of her magnitude.

"Then Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler are definitely out of the picture," Emmett teased.

"Thanks, Em. You're not really helping."

"Sorry. Don't worry, sweetie. We'll figure it out." Emmett rubbed Ted's shoulder comfortingly.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Michael joked, coming up behind them.

"When did you get here?" Emmett demanded.

"Just now. I was looking for you two."

"Where's Ben?" Ted asked.

"He's down at the bar getting drinks. So, what's up?"

Ted sighed. "I was just thinking about getting some live entertainment to liven things up around here."

"Who were you thinking?"

"I don't know, what do you think?"

"Um...how about Madonna?" Michael suggested.

"Ha!" Emmett clapped his hands and laughed.

"Did...I miss something?" Michael asked, looking between Ted and Emmett suspiciously.

"I suggested Madonna, but Teddy didn't go for it," Emmett explained, sticking his tongue out at Ted.

"I'm just not sure we could afford her is all. I hear she's pretty pricey."

"If the Stop Prop. Fourteen campaign could snag Cyndi Lauper, I'm sure we could get Madonna. From what Brian ever told me, this place makes good money."

"It does, but I used to be an accountant, remember? I'm all about saving money for the future."

"Think of it as an investment," Michael suggested helpfully.

"I guess, but how would I even get a hold of her manager? It isn't like I have great connections, you know?"

"How do other club owners do it?"Emmett asked, frowning.

"I don't know! I've been a club owner for less than a week."

"Maybe Brian could help you," Michael said.

"Oh yeah, that sounds like a great plan!" Ted exclaimed.

"Why not?"

"I don't want him to think I'm incapable of running Babylon!"

"He won't think that you're incapable of running Babylon," Michael assured him.

Ben found them. "What are you guys talking about?" he asked, handing Michael a beer.

"Ted wants to book Madonna to perform here," Michael replied.

"Really? That would be awesome! The crowd will eat her up! I listened to her all the time when I was in my twenties."

"Didn't we all?" Emmett asked.

Michael cleared his throat. "So, are you guys ready for the wedding? It's only a few weeks away now!" Ted and Emmett exchanged looks. "Well?"

"I'm looking forward to it," Emmett replied. "I can't wait to have what you guys do."

"I wouldn't trade it for anything," Ben assured him.

"You'd better say that," Michael said, grabbing Ben's arm.

"What about you, Teddy?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah." Ted nodded, avoiding Emmett's gaze.

"You aren't getting cold feet, are you?" Emmett knit his brows.

"No. I'm just...a little nervous is all."

"Don't be. Trust me, you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

Ted smiled. "It's just that it's such a big step, you know?"

"You're ready."

"Everybody gets a _little_ nervous beforehand," Ben soothed.

"As long as you don't freak out and give yourself a stroke, you'll be fine," Michael joked.

"Gee thanks, Michael!" Ted exclaimed.

"Michael, you're going to scare him," Ben chided. "Ted, you'll be fine. If Brian can handle it, so can you."

"Thanks, Ben," Ted muttered. "Excuse me."

Ted made a beeline for the bathroom. "Nice one, Michael," Emmett teased.

"It wasn't my fault!" Michael insisted. A thought came to him. "Wait, Ben. Are you saying that you had second thoughts before you married me?" He crossed his arms over his chest. When he did that, he looked just like Debbie. It was eerie.

"No. I was just saying that people get _nervous_," Ben clarified.

"Uh huh, sure."

"You're not really mad are you?" Ben asked.

"No. I admit that I was a little nervous, too, but I knew that I loved you that I wouldn't regret it even for a second."

"Aww! That is too cute!" Emmett started to cry. "I'm gonna go check on, Teddy," he choked out.

As Emmett ran after Ted, Michael and Ben laughed. "Our friends," Michael remarked. "You gotta love 'em."

"Yes, you do," Ben agreed, taking a swig of his drink.

"I can't believe that within a few weeks' time, I will be able to say that all of my friends are married, it just blows my mind."

"I think it's nice."

"It is," Michael agreed. "It's just that, back in old days when we were all single, I never imagined that we'd _all _be married."

"I guess."

"Brian especially."

"None of us saw that happening."

"I wasn't even sure if I wanted to get married," Michael admitted.

"Really?"

"Well, I knew that it wasn't allowed here and I never seemed to have much luck with men before I met you."

Ted and Emmett came back from the bathroom. "Are you guys okay?" Michael asked.

"Fine," Emmett replied, dabbing at his face with paper towel.

"I'm better now," Ted answered, smiling.

"I'm sorry, Ted. I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's not your fault, Michael," Ted assured him. "It's just nerves."

Everyone was silent for a few minutes, unsure of what to say. "So...anyone wanna dance?" Emmett asked.

"Okay," Michael, Ben, and Ted said in unison. Emmett led the way down the stairs to the dance floor.

"Just imagine how hot this dance floor will get when we have major music stars performing here!" Emmett exclaimed.

"It'll be even more packed than usual!" Michael agreed.

"I don't know how many more people we could fit in here, we don't want to be shut down," Ted pointed out.

"Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much?" Emmett asked, grabbing Ted's hands and dancing. "Relax, have fun!"

Michael and Ben laughed and joined the dancing.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian makes another of Justin's dreams come true. Ted asks Brian a favor. Emmett learns that first impressions aren't always true. Michael fears that he and Ben are losing the spark in their marriage and decides to fix it before it's too late.


	30. Doing Theodore a Favor

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **After getting settled in to Britin Manor, Justin started working on his newest painting. He met with the Dean of Admissions at PIFA and agreed to redo his internship - at Kinnetik- over the summer.

Emmett was hired to plan Joanne Black's grandaughter Jessica's First Communion. Things started out in a less than stellar manner.

Ted decided to get some live entertainment at Babylon to bring in more money. The guys suggested that he book Madonna.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Ted walked into Brian's office. Brian was sitting at his desk, staring intently at the computer screen. "Hey, Bri," Ted said, clearing his throat.

"Hey." Brian didn't look up from what he was doing.

"Do you have a minute?" Ted asked.

"Time is money."

"I'll come back later."

"Wait," Brian swiveled in his chair so that he was facing Ted. "What can I do for you, Theodore?"

Ted took a deep breath. _Stay calm Ted, the worst thing he can do is laugh at you,_ he reminded himself. "Um...I was thinking of getting some live entertainment at Babylon, you know, to raise sales–– not that they're low or anything!" he quickly added.

"What the fuck are you telling me this for?" Brian asked.

"That's a really good question," Ted muttered. "Well, I asked Emmett, Michael, and Ben who they'd like to see and they all agreed on Madonna."

"Madonna?" Brian scoffed. "Good luck with that."

"Tell me about it. For someone as big as her, it'd probably cost a fortune."

"Isn't she working on for her _Confessions on a Dance Floor _album?"

"It doesn't start for a few more weeks," Ted supplied. "But she's probably doing rehearsals right now."

"You'd better hop on it, then. It'll be here before you know it." Brian turned back to the computer.

"That's the thing, see. I don't know how to do it. I..." Ted scratched his ear nervously. _I'm such an idiot!_

"Are you asking for my help?" Brian asked, arching an eyebrow.

"As much I hate to, yes I am." Ted blushed.

Brian didn't say anything for a few seconds. Ted felt his stomach knotting up. "All right," Brian said finally. He exhaled loudly.

"All right?" Ted's eyes bulged out of his head. _I didn't have _that_ much to drink last night!_

"All right, I'll help you," Brian elaborated, rolling his eyes.

"I'm sorry, did I just hear you correctly? Did you say you'd help me?"

Brian chuckled to himself. "I know that everyone likes to think of the worst of me––I like it that way––but I can be nice when the mood strikes me."

"I guess so," Ted grumbled. _Wow, I guess Brian doesn't hate me after all._

"So, what do you want me to do?" Brian asked, folding his hands together on the desktop.

"I'm not sure," Ted admitted lamely. "This wasn't even my idea. Michael put me up to it."

"I'll tell you what; one of my clients is a friend of Madonna's, I'll see if I can't get in touch with her manager and then I'll get back to you."

"Thank you!" Ted laughed disbelievingly. "I owe you one, Bri!"

"Forget it." Brian waved it off. "Now get back to work. You don't want to be out of a job, do you?"

"Of course not!" Ted scampered out of the room, a hop in his step. Brian smiled.

* * *

When he was sure that Ted was gone, Brian picked up the phone and dialed a number. After a few rings, someone answered. "Hello?"

"Hi, this is Brian Kinney. I need you to track down the number for Madonna's manager, I'm offering a thousand dollars. Thanks." He hung up and smiled smugly. _The things I do for my friends. _He glanced at the time on his computer screen, _I think I'll go see my Sunshine at the diner._ On his way out the door, he said, "Cynthia, I'm going to lunch." He didn't have to tell her, but he was in a good mood.

On the way to the diner, Brian turned on the radio. He wasn't paying much attention to the song that was being played until it ended and "You Are My Sunshine" started to play. _Oh no,_ he thought with a smile. Waiting for the light to turn green, Brian idly played with his wedding band. _I love you, Sunshine._

By the time he got to the diner, he was starving. He opened the door and spotted Justin at the first table. "Some service?" he asked as he passed by, sitting down in the next table over.

"What are you doing here?" Justin's face immediately brightened.

"It's lunchtime, I'm hungry." Brian pulled Justin down onto his lap.

"Lucky for you, I'm about due for a break. After I take your order of course." They started to kiss but were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Save it for tonight," Debbie said, fixing them with a dirty look.

Justin laughed and moved himself to the seat next to Brian. "What can I get you?" he asked.

"Well, what I'd really like is to take you out to the car and fuck your brains out. Is that on the menu?"

"Hmmm, let's see," Justin pretended to think it over, "I think we can do that, yeah. But seriously though, what do you want to eat?"

Brian looked over the menu. "How about the chicken sandwich––hold the mayo."

"The mayo's fine!" Deb shouted. "Don't tell me you're still hung up about the other week?"

"I'm sticking to my guns. Infected jizz still doesn't sound appetizing."

The people in the next table exchanged disgusted looks. "Way to go jackass! You're scaring away my customers!" Debbie slammed her hands down on the counter top. "Goddamn it!"

"How long of a break do you have?" Brian asked Justin.

"About a half hour," Justin replied with a smile.

"While I'm waiting for my food, how about we go have a little appetizer in the car?" Brian winked.

"Deb, I'm taking my break," Justin said, throwing his apron on a stool.

"All right, honey. Have fun." She smiled knowingly at Brian. "Make sure he uses a condom."

They barely made it to car. "I want you so bad!" Justin groaned, licking Brian's neck.

"Hang on a minute, I have to get the door open," Brian replied, laughing. He got the door open and Justin climbed in after him, unbuttoning his shirt. "Wow, I haven't seen you like this in a really long time."

"I don't know why, but I'm incredibly horny." Justin climbed into the small back seat. "Well? Are you going to give it to me or what?" he teased. Brian smiled and followed Justin into the back of the car.

Justin got back into the diner right on time. Both he and Brian were flushed and breathing heavily. "Jesus Christ. How intense did it get out there?" Debbie asked, throwing Justin his apron. "You're food's ready," she said to Brian.

"Thanks, Deb," Brian replied snidely, sitting back down at the table. "Waiter!" he called to Justin. "I need some more water, please."

"Right away, sir." Justin grabbed a water pitcher and refilled Brian's cup.

"Thank you ever so much."

"It was my pleasure."

The diner was basically empty, so Justin sat down next to Brian and shared his food. "What time is your shift done tonight?" Brian asked.

"Five."

"After work, come down to the office, I'll find something for you to do."

"Okay. You're not going to make me do office work, are you?" Justin scowled. He hated office work.

"Maybe." Brian winked. "You better get used to it, what do you think you're going to be doing as an intern?"

"Don't remind me," Justin groaned.

Brian's cell phone rang, he answered it without seeing who it was. "Yeah?"

"I have the number you wanted."

"Great. What is it?" He snatched Justin's pen and pad to write down the number. "Your money's on the way." Brian hung up.

"Who was that?" Justin asked.

"A friend. I needed to get the number for Madonna's manager."

"Madonna! As in "Material Girl" Madonna?"

"The one and only."

"Why do you need her manager's number?"

"She's going to be playing at Babylon," Brian replied simply.

"Get out! Seriously!" Justin laughed in disbelief.

"Well, it isn't official yet, but I'm sure I can persuade her." Brian tapped his wallet.

"We're going to be there, right?"

"Deb, do you want to smack him or shall I?" Brian teased.

"Oh, my God!" Justin threw his arms around Brian. "You have no idea how long I've dreamed of going to one her concerts!"

"Well, not only do you get to see her perform live, you're going to be right by the stage," Brian promised.

"You are unbelievable!" Justin exclaimed.

"Yes, I am. Now, I have to get back to work. I'll see you in a couple of hours." Brian kissed Justin on the lips and threw a wad of money on the table. "Later."

"Wait! There's too much here!" Justin protested, holding out some of the money.

"It's a tip, for excellent service." Brian winked and walked out of the diner.

Justin stood frozen for a few seconds, unbelieving. "I hate it when he does that!"

"Oh, Sunshine, just accept it. He loves you and that's that," Debbie suggested, wiping down the counter. "Now get back to work."

"Yeah, you're right." Justin grabbed Brian's plate and glass and brought it back to the kitchen. _Brian won't have to do it for much longer though. Once my painting is done, _I'll_ be the one leaving generous tips._ _For the time being, I'll just slip the money back in his wallet when he's in the shower or something._

A few more customers had come in while Justin was away. _Back to work_, he thought, grabbing the coffee pot and water jug. _I definitely won't miss this job when I've moved on to bigger and better things; in fact, if Deb didn't need the help and I didn't need the money so badly, I'd quit right now and go home so I can work on my painting._ Sighing, he went back to work.

* * *

Emmett had another meeting with Joanne, Jackie, and Jessica. _The three J's_, he thought.

He was not looking forward to the meeting at all. "Why do you talk so funny?" he mocked Jessica's voice. _Kids these days!_ As he walked to the front door, he checked his attitude. _You don't want to get yourself fired, you need this job_, he reminded himself.

When Joanne opened the door, she was as cheerful as ever. "Emmett, honey, come on in! We have so much to discuss."

"Great, I can't wait!" _What now!_

"Hi, Emmett," Jackie said, shaking his hand. "It's great to see you again."

"Yeah, you, too."

"Hi," Jessica smiled.

"Hello, sweetie!" Emmett chirped, hoping he sounded convincing. _Why is she being so friendly?_

Emmett sat down on the couch next to Jessica and opened his book. "I've done some thinking since our last meeting and I've decided to take a few people off of the guest list to make it more intimate, you understand," Jackie explained.

"Completely. So, how many guests are left now?"

"Twenty."

"Wow, okay. Well, that makes my job easier." Emmett laughed.

"Oh, and Jessica wants all the decorations to be pink. It's her favorite color."

"Pink, I can do." He had to refrain from saying "pink's my favorite color too!"

Jackie nodded. "She also wants a pink cake. Kids are so demanding, aren't they?" Emmett laughed politely. "Now, you're sure you can have everything ready for next Sunday?"

"Everything will be ready," Emmett promised.

"We'd love it if you and your partner could make it to the party," Joanne added.

"My...partner," Emmett chuckled nervously. He shot a look at Jessica.

"Don't worry about her, she knows that some boys like boys and some girls like girls," Jackie assured him.

"Oh...okay. Well, we would be delighted to come to the party."

"Jessica insisted."

"Really!" Emmett arched an eyebrow. Maybe Jessica wasn't a little demon afer all.

"Yes. She adores you!"

Emmett looked over at the little girl, who was blushing. "Don't by shy, sweetie," Emmett said, "I don't bite, promise." _Not girls, anyway._

"She said you remind her of her cousin Alex. You two know each other."

"Yes, we do."

"I want to thank you so much for whatever you did. We haven't seen Alex so happy in...too long." Jackie grinned.

"It was my pleasure, but I didn't really do anything."

"No, you did! You introduced him to that...?"

"Todd," Emmett supplied.

"Todd. They really do make a cute couple," Joanne smiled proudly.

"They suit each other," Emmett agreed.

Joanne rose from the couch. "Well, I think that's everything. We don't want to keep you, I know you're planning your own wedding."

"Yes, I am, but..."

"It's fine. We'll be in touch." _Does she always say that?_

"Okay, bye guys." Emmett shook Jackie's hand and ruffled Jessica's hair; that got a smile out of her. "I'll let you know when I've got everything arranged."

When he got out to the car, Emmett called Michael. "You were right," he said.

"About what?" Michael asked.

"Jessica."

"Who?"

"Jessica. The girl I'm planning the party for?"

"Oh, yeah, right. So, she's not a bitch?"

"No, she's not. She's actually very shy. I've only heard her speak once since we've met. Apparently she loves me to death, I remind her of Alex."

Michael laughed. "Well I'm glad you got over your work friction. Now go do what you do best and organize a fabulous party for your little fan."

"I will. Will I see later tonight at Babylon?"

"Actually, no. Ben and I have plans."

"Ooh, sounds serious."

"It is. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. Bye ,sweetie." Emmett made a kissing sound and disconnected. _Now, time to go get the supplies. This'll be fun!_

_

* * *

_

Michael had decided to stay home instead of going to Babylon. He and Ben were spending less and less time together and that irked him. _I don't want to lose him_. He had sat down and thought long and hard of ways to make it up to Ben when it came to him; surprise Ben with a romantic dinner for two; Hunter was at Debbie's for the night.

He scrounged through the cupboards for something to make. _I forgot to go shopping,_ he thought, sighing. _How am I supposed to cook a romantic dinner for two with no groceries!_

In the back of the cupboard, Michael found a box of Hamburger Helper. _Well, it isn't homemade Chicken Marsala, but it'll have to do._ _Let's just hope that there's some good burger in the fridge. _When Michael found a packet of ground chuck, he heaved a sigh of relief. _Thank you, God!_

Ben wasn't due home for another hour, which gave Michael plenty of time to make the food and find something to have with it. There was a bag of dinner rolls in the freezer, still unopened. _I'll save those until right before the food's ready. Oh God, I'm turning into my mother!_ That thought scared Michael more than he'd like to admit.

While he was waiting for the food, Michael set two places at the table, then brought the candles out of the drawer and lit them. He found a bottle of wine in the pantry, _this'll help set the mood._

Michael had just finished setting the table and putting the food out when Ben walked in the door. "I'm home," he called, and Michael heard the familiar sound of Ben's briefcase hitting the wood flooring.

"In here," Michael replied, smiling.

Ben stepped into the kitchen and laughed. "What's all this?" he asked, pointing at the table.

"Well, since we haven't spent much time together this past week, I thought that it would be nice if we stayed in and had a nice, romantic dinner."

"That's very sweet, but what about Hunter?"

"He's at my mom's."

"I can't believe you did this." Ben shook his head in disbelief.

"I love you and want to show it. I feel like we've been living in different time zones, you know? We're both gone at work all day and I've been going to Babylon a lot lately–– alone, I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too. It just seems that ever since the thing with JR that you've been...distant."

"I have, and I'm sorry for that. I shouldn't have pushed you away. I just felt so confused, I didn't know what to do or who to turn to." Michael swiped at his eye. "I've been a bad husband, I know that, but I promise it'll never happen again. Can you forgive me?"

Ben hurried over the Michael and enveloped him in a kiss. "You don't need to be forgiven, Michael. I love you and I will never stop loving you, no matter what."

"Thank you!" Michael gasped, hugging Ben tightly to him. "Now that I've made an ass of myself, let's eat before the food gets cold." They both laughed and sat down at the table.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Carl pushes Debbie for an answer to his second marriage proposal. Ted books Madonna to perform at Babylon. Brian offers to help Deb out of a tight spot.


	31. Debbie's Decision

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Ted decided to book a big name to perform at Babylon.

Brian and Justin moved into Britin Manor.

Michael, fearing that he and Ben were growing apart, made a romantic dinner and they patched things up.

* * *

Chapter Thirty

Debbie and Carl were home alone; a rare thing for them. Emmett and Calvin were out looking at apartments. As much as Deb loved Emmett and wanted him to stay living with her, it was getting a little crowded around the house now that Calvin was permanently living there as well. "How are you feeling, honey?" Debbie asked Carl. Ever since Carl had had his stroke, she'd kept a close monitor on his health. She didn't want to lose him.

"I'm fine," Carl replied, exhaling as he folded up the newspaper. " Listen, Debbie..."

"What?"

"I've been waiting patiently for an answer, and you haven't given it to me."

"Oh." _Fuck!_ Deb had hoped that if she didn't say anything about Carl's second proposal, he'd drop the subject. She'd even been avoiding him as much as possible for the last week to avoid an awkward situation. Debbie chewed her lip nervously. She would feel terrible turning him down again.

"Well?" Carl pressed.

The first time that Carl had proposed, Debbie had immediately accepted, but after Michael and Ben were forced to sign separate papers to back into the U.S. because of the gay marriage law, she'd decided that until her son and other gay men and women could properly get married in the United States, it wasn't fair for her to do so. Of course, Carl had recently brought up the fact that while they weren't officially married, Brian and Justin had committed to each other and Ted, Blake, Emmett, and Calvin were about to do the same thing. _Does that make it right?_ she wondered.

Debbie took a deep breath. "Carl, honey," she began, heart pounding.

"You're going to say no, aren't you?" Carl asked, sighing disappointingly.

"Did I say that?" Deb put her hands on her hips. Her discomfort turned to irritation. She hated when other people put words in her mouth.

"Not exactly, but..."

"Don't put words in my mouth. You know that I love you, sweetie and that marrying you would make me so happy."

"But you can't..."

"What did I just say?" Debbie's hands flew to her hips.

"Sorry." Carl lowered his head.

"When I found you on the bathroom floor..." Debbie swallowed past the lump in her throat. "All I could think was that I only had one regret: not marrying you. That's why I'm going to listen to my heart this time around and say let's do it!"

Carl jumped up from the table and hugged Deb tightly. "I can't believe it!"

"I have one request, though," Deb said, holding up a finger.

"Anything." Carl laughed. "Whatever you want!"

"Let's go down to City Hall and do it tonight."

"City Hall?"

"That way, it won't be an official marriage, it'll be more like a commitment ceremony. At least, in my book. What do you say?"

"Is that really what you want?"

"It is what I want," Deb confirmed.

"Don't you want a big wedding with Michael and the guys there?"

Debbie took a second to answer. "Of course I'd love them all to be there, but they've all got their own lives; Brian and Justin are out in West Virginia; Michael and Ben are doing God knows what; Ted and Emmett are both getting married in a few weeks...why wait when we could just do it now?"

"If you're okay with it, I'm okay with it."

"I love you," Debbie said, kissing Carl. "Now come on, we'd better go get ready; City Hall isn't open all day!" She grabbed his arm and dragged him upstairs.

Forty-five minutes later, they walked into the City Hall building. "I knew I'd find somewhere to wear this dress," Deb mumbled, adjusting one of the straps. It was a dress she'd bought on QVC but had never worn. Carl had found an old suit in the closet; fortunately it still fit. There were two couples in front of them. "Isn't this romantic?" Debbie asked as they sat down, watching the couple exchanging their rings.

"Yes, it is," Carl agreed, wrapping his arm around her.

When the couple kissed, Deb began to cry. "Jesus, I'm worse than fucking Emmett and Ted," she grumbled, reaching into her purse for some tissue.

"You're going to be okay when we're up there, aren't you?" Carl asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just watching other people get married that turns on the faucets."

The next couple were brought up to the bench and Deb's heart began to pound with nervous excitement. _I'm finally getting married!_ _I was beginning to think that it would never happen. I only wish Vic were still alive to share my joy._ At the thought of her brother Vic, Debbie felt a pang in her chest. She missed him terribly, but liked to think that he was in a much better place. She knew that he would be smiling down on her as she married the man she loved.

The couple in front of them kissed and walked out of the room. "We're up," Carl said, slowly getting to his feet. He leaned on Debbie as they made their way up the aisle.

"Your names please?" the clerk asked.

"Carl Horvath.

"Debbie Novotny."

After writing down their names, the judge motioned for them to proceed. Carl began by promising to love Deb until the day he died. "No matter what." Debbie laughed quietly.

"And I promise to do the same," she replied. They exchanged rings and kissed when they were given permission. "I can't believe we're married!" Debbie exclaimed.

On their way out, they had to sign some papers. "Are you going to take my last name?" Carl asked.

"I haven't given it much thought, actually," Deb admitted, pausing after signing her first name. "It's just that I've been Debbie Novotny for so long that I can't picture myself as anything else."

"You don't need to explain yourself. If you want to keep Novotny, then keep Novotny."

"Thank you." Deb finished signing her name. "Besides, Debbie Horvath sounds like a porn star."

When they got out to the car, Carl asked, "So, what do you want to do now?"

"I have an idea," Debbie said, grinning devilishly.

"What?"

"Well we just got married, what do other people do after their wedding?"

Carl's face lit up in a grin. "You are something else, you know that?"

"I've been told that before. So what do you say, Mr. Horvath? Shall we consummate our long awaited marriage?"

"Anything for my beautiful bride," Carl replied. Debbie laughed and started the car.

* * *

The next morning, the gang met up for breakfast at the Liberty Diner. "So, how's the new house coming along?" Michael asked. Brian looked at Justin and rolled his eyes.

"Great. I finished painting our bedroom and I started on the nursery. We can't wait for you guys to come and see it."

"Well we can't wait to come see it," Emmett replied. "I bet it's fabulous."

"It is," Justin assured him, laughing.

"So what else is new?" Brian asked. "Mikey?"

"Nothing," Michael replied with a faint smile.

"Really? That isn't a nothing smile."

"Okay, if you must know, Ben and I reconnected last night."

"So in other words, you two fucked like dogs in heat, right?"

"Yes, Brian. Thank you."

"Any time, Mikey."

"That's great sweetie," Emmett added. "It's definitely more eventful that my evening."

Debbie came by and refilled their drinks. "Your apartment hunting didn't go well, honey?" she asked.

"No, but oh, well. We're going to keep looking." Deb moved her hand and sunlight glinted off of a ring that Emmett hadn't noticed before. _Is that a wedding band! Oh my God!_ He looked around to see if anyone else had noticed, but they were all looking down at the their food. _Best keep it to myself for now, _he decided.

Brian and Justin were sharing food with each other. "What did you two do last night?" Emmett asked them. _Besides have sex too many times to count._ Brian and Justin exchanged looks and both thought of the previous night: they'd had sex in their room, the nursery, Gus's room, the guest room, the kitchen, the gym, the pool, Brian's office, Justin's studio, the tennis court, and the stables. "Nothing out of the ordinary," Brian answered, catching Justin's eye.

"I figured. What about you, Teddy? How was Babylon last night?"

"You aren't going to believe this but...I booked Madonna for this weekend, isn't that amazing!" Ted exclaimed.

"Oh, my God!" Emmett's face turned purple. "Guys, I seriously think I just stopped breathing."

"Then how are you talking?" Brian shot back. Emmett scowled.

"Ted, that's great!" Michael smiled.

"That friend of yours is amazing, Brian," Ted said.

"Yeah," Justin agreed, smirking. He knew the truth: Brian had paid someone to get the phone number, of course, he wouldn't tell Ted that; Brian's asshole persona was too important to him, so Justin kept his mouth shut.

Ted was oblivious. "Babylon is going to be packed this weekend. We may even have to turn people away," he continued, staring off into space. "Maybe I'll even be able to meet her and get her autograph."

"Me, too," Justin said.

"I'd be too nervous to ask her," Emmett admitted.

"You were fine with Cyndi Lauper," Justin pointed out.

"Well, I didn't actually talk to her, I just introduced her."

"Would you quit being such a pussy? She's a normal person just like everybody else." Brian shook his head in disgust. "Just because she's worth millions and has her face on television doesn't make her a deity."

Emmett cleared his throat. "Sorry, Brian. We can't all have the 'who gives a fuck?' attitude that you do."

"Anyway," Justin interjected before Brian could deliver a witty comeback, "What did you do yesterday, Deb?"

Deb froze and chewed her lip in thought. "Nothing really. The usual." She reached for Michael's plate, and the sun glinted off her new ring once more.

"Ma?" Michael asked.

"What, honey?"

"What's that on your finger?"

"A ring," Deb replied, chuckling nervously.

"A _diamond _ring?"

"Yeah." _Oh shit, here it comes._

Michael crossed his arms over his chest. "You didn't do 'nothing really' yesterday, did you?"

"No," Debbie admitted, sighing.

"You and Carl got married." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah."

"How could you get married and not tell me?" Michael exclaimed. "I'm your son!"

"Michael, honey, it was spur of the moment."

"Actually..." Emmett began, but stopped when Deb whirled around and glared at him. She grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him close to her face.

"You finish that sentence and you'll be eating food laced with Ex-Lax for the next month," Debbie murmured in his ear. Emmett gulped.

"Actually, it's true," Emmett amended.

"Good boy." Deb lightly smacked Emmett. "Come on, Michael. Don't get your Captain Astro underpants in a twist."

Michael looked over at Brian, who arched an eyebrow. They knew each other so well that Michael could practically hear what Brian was thinking: _Come on, Mikey. Let it go._ He sighed. "Congratulations, Ma."

"Thanks, honey. I would've told you, but I know how busy your boys are and I didn't want to... bother anyone."

"You wouldn't have bothered us!" Justin exclaimed. Brian laughed.

Realization hit Emmett. "Aww, Deb," he gasped, tears falling down his cheeks. "I'm so happy for you!" He stood up and gave her a hug.

"Thanks, Emmett, I knew you'd be happy."

"Congratulations." Ted smiled and gave her a hug.

"Thank you, sweetie."

"Congratulations, Deb," Justin said. He tried to stand up, but Brian pulled him back down.

"Thanks, Sunshine." Deb looked at Brian. "Well I don't expect anything from you, so you're off the hook."

"Oh, goody." Justin elbowed him in the rib. Rolling his eyes, Brian mumbled, "Congratulations."

Laughing, Debbie squeezed onto the seat next to Emmett and Ted. "You two are next. Hopefully you don't start bawling your eyes out while you're up there."

"That's right, we only have a few more weeks," Brian said with mock cheer.

"Since you threw us a stag party, I think it's about time we returned the favor," Justin considered.

"A double stag party?" Ted asked.

"Why not? It sounds like fun. Thank you," Emmett smiled at Justin. "I haven't seen any hot male strippers in a long time. Actually, I think it's been since your stag party. Too long. This is going to be fun!"

"Down boy, you're getting married, remember?" Ted reminded him.

"So? Just cause I'm settling down doesn't mean I still can't window shop," Emmett replied.

Brian and Justin snickered to themselves.

Michael shook his head. "I don't check anybody out anymore. It makes me feel dirty," he admitted, shivering with disgust.

"Oh, please," Brian mumbled. "It isn't like you're fucking the guy, there's no harm in looking."

"You're one to talk, Brian. You barely even looked at the stripper we got you for your stag party. Emmett got more use out of him than you did," Michael replied.

"He was hot," Emmett recalled, grinning.

"And the whole time Justin was in New York you avoided men like the plague," Michael continued.

"How sweet," Justin said, kissing Brian.

Brian couldn't think of a retort, so instead took a bite of his food. Justin squeezed his hand for support. "I agree with you, Michael. I feel weird even checking out an actor on TV." Brian patted his knee under the table.

"Good boy, Sunshine," he whispered in Justin's ear.

Emmett decided to change the subject. "So, Deb, are you and Carl going anywhere for your honeymoon?" he asked.

"We're not having one. With Carl's health the way it is, we both agreed it would be best to just stay home," Debbie replied.

"I thought he was doing better. He is, isn't he?" Justin asked.

"He is. I just don't think he's up for a vacation right now. Maybe in a couple of months we'll go away for a weekend or something."

"That's a shame. I was going to recommend Italy, you'd love it."

"Like I could ever afford to go Italy. Carl's medical bills are so expensive, we'll still be paying them long after we're both dead. Besides, I don't think I could go there again...without Vic."

Justin looked over at Brian with pleading eyes. "How bad are they?" Brian asked.

"I don't know for sure, we haven't gotten a bill yet, but from what I remember about Vic's hospital bills...it's going to be rough," Debbie admitted.

"Ma, you aren't in trouble, are you?" Michael asked.

"No, honey, we'll make it. Things are just going to be tight, which means no more buying frivolous shit off of QVC."

"It'll help that Calvin and I won't be there running the bills up," Emmett pointed out.

Brian pulled out his checkbook. "Look, Deb, I'll write you a check..."

"Can you guys excuse us for a minute?" Debbie asked the others.

"Sure," they muttered in unison, moving away to stand by the counter.

Deb leaned forward conspiratorially. "What are you up to, Kinney?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Brian asked, chuckling.

"Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but no, thank you."

"Deb..."

"Now, you listen to me, kiddo. I love you like a son and I'm sure in your own twisted way you love me like a mother, but I am not going to let you wave your checkbook like some goddamn magic wand and make everything all better."

"I don't see what the big deal is, Deb. If you don't want me to give you the money, I'll loan it to you like I did with Justin."

"And when the hell am I ever going to be able to pay you back? Listen, I am begging you, please, just let me deal with this on my own. I'll be fine." She grabbed Brian's hand and held it firmly in hers. "It'll be okay, kiddo," she said, her voice softer. Tears shimmered in her eyes.

Brian clenched his jaw. _Why do people get so bent out of shape when I offer to help them? It's just fucking money, I've got more than enough, more than I need._ "Suit yourself," he said, closing his checkbook. The matter was closed. For the time being, anyway.

"Thank you." Debbie leaned in and lightly kissed Brian's cheek. She got up and disappeared into the kitchen.

The others came back to the table. "What was all that about?" Michael asked.

"Nothing Mikey, don't worry about it. Well, Sunshine, if we're going to meet your mother on time, we'd better get going," Brian replied, putting some money on the table.

"All right, we'll see you guys later," Justin said, following Brian. "Deb wouldn't accept your money, huh?" he asked when they were out the door. Brian chuckled. "What?"

"You people never learn, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you see how much money I left on the table?"

"You sly fox!"

Brian smiled and got in the car. When Justin put his seatbelt on, they drove off.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Madonna performs at Babylon.


	32. Like a Prayer

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Brian helped Ted book Madonna to perform at Babylon.

Debbie and Carl got married at City Hall. Because Carl's hospital bills were expensive, they opted to not have a honeymoon.

Brian offered to help Deb out, but she refused. True to form, he found a way to help anyway.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-One

Ted was going out of his mind. Madonna was contracted to perform that night at Babylon and the whole club still needed to be set up for the event. Emmett was helping in his spare time, which was very spare at the moment. "How the hell are we going to get everything done by tonight?" Ted exclaimed, pacing back and forth along the bar.

"Teddy, just calm down, okay? The Blacks gave me the day off and trust me. I've thrown bigger events together in less than a day. You have nothing to worry about," Emmett replied.

"Sorry, Em, but until everything's done, I'm going to worry. You know how I am."

"Why did you wait until the last minute anyway? It's so unlike you."

"It wasn't my idea! The goddamn stuff I ordered got lost in transit or something and didn't turn up until this morning." Ted went behind the bar and poured himself a drink.

Emmett looked around the club. "What exactly do you want done?" he asked.

"I don't even know anymore. Madonna's supposed to come by for a sound check in a couple of hours, I'm panicking too much to think straight."

"Just relax and leave the decorations to _moi_. Why don't you go get yourself a little something to eat and by the time you come back, I'll have figured something out, okay?"

"Whatever," Ted grumbled. "I'll be right back."

"Take your time." Emmett looked around again and scratched his chin.

Ted wasn't hungry; his stomach was twisted up into nervous knots. He walked down the street to the diner. Debbie and Justin were inside waiting tables. "Ted, honey! I wasn't expecting to see you till tonight. Are you excited or what?" Deb greeted him.

"Or what," Ted mumbled.

"What the hell got up his ass?" Debbie said to Justin, who shrugged. She went and stood next to Ted. "Are you gonna tell me what's wrong?"

"Where do I begin?" Ted asked rhetorically. "The club is not even remotely close to being ready for the show tonight. Emmett's there by himself trying to figure something out." Ted shook his head in disbelief. "I am so fucked!"

"Trust me, honey, with Emmett on the case, you have nothing to worry about. He can whip up something extraordinary in no time."

"Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it."

Debbie sighed. "Look. Teddy, if you're gonna just sit there and mope at least have something to eat."

"I can't eat right now, my stomach is too upset."

"I'll get you some Ginger Ale," Deb said, disappearing into the back. A few seconds later she was at the counter again. "Here, have some of this."

Ted took a sip and coughed. "God, I hate that," he admitted. "It burns my throat."

"How's your stomach now?" Debbie asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Actually, it feels a little better," Ted realized, smiling. "Thank you, Debbie."

"Anything for one of my boys." The cook rang the bell. "I have to go, honey. Good luck."

"Thanks, Deb. Actually, I need to get back, I don't want to leave Emmett alone for too long, I might come back and find everything covered in pink ruffles or something." Debbie laughed.

Ted paid for his drink and rushed back to the club. As he walked in, his breath caught in his throat. Emmett had somehow pulled together enough resources to make the club look amazing: a red carpet led from the entrance up to the stage; curtains had been hung surrounding the stage, though they were pulled aside at the moment; lights had been strung from the second floor catwalk railing. "Wow," Ted gasped, his mouth hanging open.

"You like?" Emmett asked, plugging the lights in the make sure that they worked.

"Em, this is amazing! How on earth did you pull all this together in fifteen minutes?"

"I told you I was good."

"I'm sorry, I'll never doubt you again," Ted promised, shaking his head in wonder. "Do you need any help finishing up, or...?"

"No, I got it. I'm basically done anyway, unless there's something specific you want," Emmett replied.

"No, this is great. Thank you so much!"

"You're wel..." Emmett's voice cut off.

"What?" Ted asked, laughing. "What is it?" Emmett pointed to the door, mouth hanging open.

Ted turned around and his heart leapt into his throat. Standing in the doorway was the Queen of Pop herself, Madonna. "Hey, guys," she said, stepping in off the street. "You wouldn't happen to know where I could find Ted Schmidt, would you?" she asked.

"Uh..." Ted managed. Sweat broke out on his brow. _Oh, my God, I'm standing in the same room as Madonna! Somebody pinch me; I must be dreaming._

"Ted Schmidt?" Madonna asked again, smiling.

"Yeah that-that's me!" Ted exclaimed, rushing to her side. "Hi, I'm Ted Schmidt." _She already knows that, idiot!_

"Hey, nice to meet you." She looked around at the club. "This is a nice place you've got here."

"Th-thank you!"

Madonna walked up onto the stage. "Nice," she commented, fingering the curtain. "My flight was a little early, I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all! We'll just leave you to it. If you need me I'll be...around." Ted grabbed Emmett and pulled him out after him. Madonna laughed.

Once Ted and Emmett were outside, they both exhaled loudly. "Can you believe that?" Ted demanded. "We just saw Madonna!"

"I know. It was," Emmett searched for the right word, "incredible!"

"She's so nice! I was worried she'd be a bitch and I'd regret hiring her."

"Madonna? Please. Now, come on, let's find something to do before we embarrass ourselves even more."

"What are we gonna do?" Ted asked.

"Booze inventory?" Emmett suggested.

Ted shrugged and followed Emmett back inside.

* * *

Brian circled the block for the third time. "Fuck!" he muttered, slamming his palm down on the steering wheel.

"I told you we should've left earlier," Justin said. At Brian's pissed off look, he shut his mouth.

"We'll just park down the road and walk," Brian announced, putting the car in park.

"Ted must be dying from excitement," Justin noted.

"Or shitting himself," Brian retorted, pulling Justin close his chest.

As the former owner of Babylon, Brian didn't have to wait in line to get in, he and Justin walked right in. "Wow, look at it in here!" Justin exclaimed. "It looks incredible!"

"Emmett's outdone himself."

"Do you think we'll actually get to meet Madonna?"

"How should I know?"

"What would I say to her?"

"You'd say 'hi, I'm Justin, you're biggest fan,'" Brian replied.

"Smart ass."

They found Ted and Emmett in the crowd. "Hey, guys," Ted said. "Glad you could make it."

"We wouldn't have missed this for the world," Justin assured him. "Emmett, did you do all this?" He motioned around the room.

"Yes I did, isn't it marvelous?" Emmett replied.

"It is! You did a great job!"

"Well, thank you, I try."

"Did you guys see Madonna yet?"

"Yeah, she came in earlier for a sound check," Ted answered.

"How'd it go?"

"We made complete fools of ourselves."

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Brian muttered.

Debbie and Carl walked into the club. "I have to find Brian," Debbie said to Carl.

"Don't you think you're overreacting just a little?" Carl asked.

"No! I told him to stay out of it. I am not going to be a charity case. Aah, there he is, wait here." She stalked off toward Brian. "Can I talk to you alone for a minute?" she asked, forcing herself to smile.

"Sure, Deb," Brian replied with false enthusiasm.

When they were out of earshot of the others, Debbie pulled a roll of cash out of her coat pocket. "What the fuck is this?" she asked. Brian looked at it.

"Money?"

"Yeah, someone left me a big tip the other morning. Now let's see, who could that have been?"

"Some dyke who wants your pussy? I don't know," Brian retorted. "Maybe Loretta's back."

"I know it was you."

"Gee, what gave me away?" Brian asked facetiously.

"You did the same thing to Sunshine."

Brian sighed. "Look, you can do whatever you want with money. I don't really give a fuck, but I'm not taking it back, so you may as well stop being such a twat and just take the damn money."

"Thank you," Debbie muttered, defeated. She really could use the money. Without it, she'd have to take even more shifts at the diner and wear herself down even more. "I've always said that your biggest organ is your heart."

"You've obviously never seen my dick." He turned and walked away, leaving Deb standing with her brow knit in thought.

"How'd it go?" Carl asked, coming up beside her.

"He's being a shit! He accused me of being a twat! Can you believe that?" Carl rolled his eyes and led Debbie over the bar.

Michael, Ben, and Hunter were the next to arrive. "The parking lot is absolutely insane!" Michael exclaimed.

"Tell me about it." Brian scoffed. "I had to park down the road and walk here."

"We've never been this packed," Ted said. "I guess you guys were right about Madonna."

"Did you actually think I would be wrong about a diva?" Emmett asked.

"No. Em, not for a second." Ted put his arm around Emmett. "I hope Blake doesn't miss the show."

"He isn't here?" Michael asked.

"Not yet. He promised he come though."

"Calvin, too. He must be out there looking for a parking spot."

"Well, they better hurry, the show's starting any minute now. Which reminds me. Em, do you think you could go up and introduce her? I'd do it myself, but I'm afraid I'd get up there and go mute or something," Ted joked.

"I'd love to!" Emmett threw his arms around Ted..

Calvin and Blake walked in together. "There you guys are!" Ted waved them over. "We were beginning to think you got lost or something." He kissed Blake.

"No, there's literally no where to park out there," Blake replied.

"I have to go, I'm emceeing tonight," Emmett said to Calvin, grinning excitedly. "I'll be right back!"

As Emmett got up on the stage, the lights dimmed and everybody grew silent. He quickly took a peek behind the curtain and got a thumbs up from Madonna. _Oh, my God, I just got a thumbs up from Madonna!_ _Okay, time to start._ Emmett cleared his throat. "Hi. As you know, I am Emmett Honeycutt your former Queer Guy and it is my absolute pleasure to present to you all the original Material Girl, the Queen of Pop, Madonna!" The crowd cheered wildly. Emmett hurried back to his friends.

The curtains parted and a single spotlight shone on a female silhouette. There were several other silhouettes standing around her, but their gender was indeterminable in the dark. The music began to play and crowd cheered once more. Madonna was doing a classic: Vogue. "Vogue's my favorite," Justin whispered to Brian. They had forced their way right up in front of the stage. As Madonna turned to face the audience, the spotlight went out and the stage was lit up with tons of light, in perfect synchronicity with the beginning of the song.

The crowd went wild. "Hello. Pittsburgh, it's great to be here!" Madonna said, waving at her fans. She began to sing and the audience joined in. The background dancers set to work.

"This is amazing!" Justin gasped. "_She's_ amazing!" Brian nodded his agreement.

"They don't call her the Queen of Pop for nothing," he said.

Too quickly, the song was done. As soon as Madonna had finished singing, the audience clapped and cheered enthusiastically. "Thank you so much! I love you! Okay, what do you want to hear next?" she asked, surprisingly not out of breath.

"Like a Prayer!" Justin shouted. Brian looked at him and laughed.

"Like a Prayer it is," Madonna replied, signaling to the musicians.

The music began to play. "It's a good thing you used the extra insurance money to get the new sound system," Ted said to Brian, shouting to be heard over the music.

"No kidding, I think I'm going deaf," Brian replied, plugging his left ear.

"Oh, come on, you love it," Justin said, grabbing Brian's hands and making him dance. "It's fun, isn't it?"

"It's all right."

"All right!"

"Concerts aren't really my thing."

"Why not?"

"I get bored."

"I'm sure we can think of a way to make it more interesting for you." Justin slowly unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall to the ground. Brian smiled.

Taking after Justin, several men in the audience removed their shirts and began to dance with their friends or partners. Debbie and Carl were still sitting at the bar, well enough away from the speakers that their hearing was unencumbered. "For once, I'm not the only woman here," Deb noted, spotting several lesbian couples in the crowd. "Of course, they can take their shirts off and dance."

"You could, too, if you wanted," Carl replied, winking.

"Yeah, that's just what everyone wants to see: the topless grandma. No, thank you."

"We can still dance."

"What about your hip?"

"I'll be fine. Come on." Carl pulled Debbie up and they joined the throng of people dancing.

By the time the song ended, everybody was breathing heavily from the exertion. "I'm going to take a break for a few minutes and I'll be back," Madonna promised as the curtains closed.

"Now do you like concerts?" Justin asked Brian, slowly dancing with him.

"They're looking better and better," Brian replied, leaning in the kiss Justin.

Debbie pushed her way over to stand next to them. "Are you two having fun?" she asked, winking at Brian.

"We're having a blast. Madonna is incredible," Justin replied. "What about you?"

"It's fun. I think I'd enjoy it more if wasn't so goddamn hot in here though."

"Yeah, it is a little hot in here," Justin agreed, wiping a drop of sweat from his brow.

"Ted, can't you turn the A.C. on or something?" Brian asked.

"Sorry, Bri,. No can do. In the contract it says that we can't turn on the heat or the air conditioning until the concert is over." Ted shrugged helplessly.

"Why the fuck not?" Brian demanded, unbuttoning his shirt a little more.

"Madonna's rules. Something about her voice, I don't know."

The curtains suddenly parted again and Madonna stood on the stage. She had changed her costume and looked completely refreshed. "Are you ready for another one!" she shouted into the microphone.

"Yeah!" the audience all cried in unison.

"I can't hear you. I said, are you ready for another one!"

"Yeah!" The audience shouted louder this time.

"That's what I like to hear. If it's all right with all of you, I'd like to do 'Ray of Light' now. What do you say?"

The audience shouted their assent. "Okay. I want to see you all dancing to this one, all right? The best dancers get to come and meet me backstage after the show." The crowd screamed again. "All right, let's get started!"

As soon as the musicians began, the crowd started to dance. Justin grabbed Brian. "We're gonna win this!" he exclaimed.

"Of course we are," Brian replied, looping his arm around Justin and swaying to the beat. He saw Emmett dancing with Calvin, his arms up in the air. _You're never going to win like that_, he thought. Michael and Ben weren't dancing, just enjoying the music; Ted and Blake were nowhere in sight.

Madonna ended the song and bowed. "I just want to say you are all great dancers. Each and every one of you, but I had to pick the best. The winner is..." She pointed at Brian and Justin. "What are your names?"

"Brian and Justin," Justin replied, grinning broadly.

"Let's hear it for Brian and Justin. Good job guys. Give me a few minutes to freshen up and I'll see you backstage." She waved at the crowd and disappeared behind the curtain once more.

They gave Madonna ten minutes. An assistant was sent out to fetch them and led the way into the dressing room. When Justin stepped into the room, he gasped. "Hey, guys," Madonna said, smiling at them. "You two were great out there."

"_You_ were great out there!" Justin corrected her. "It is such a pleasure to meet you! I have every one of your CDs at home."

"That's so sweet. What about you?" Madonna looked at Brian, her eyes aglow. "You're cute."

"I'm taken," Brian replied, putting his arm around Justin, who smiled.

"The best ones always are. Listen, guys, I'd love to stay and chat with you, but I have to catch a flight back home to be with my kids. It was nice meeting both of you." She handed them each an autographed picture.

"Thank you, so much!" Justin gushed.

As they walked back out to the car, Brian asked, "Was she everything you'd hoped she'd be?"

"And then some." He put his head on Brian's shoulder and closed his eyes.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Emmett and Calvin attend Jessica's First Communion. Brian and Justin call Lindsay.


	33. Brian Cares More Than He's Letting On

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Emmett was hired to plan a party for Joanne's grandaughter Jessica's First Communion.

Daphne agreed to carry Brian and Justin's baby, but opted not to do it through artificial insemination.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Two

The day of Jessica's First Communion had arrived. As the families packed into the church, Emmett and Calvin hesitated outside. "What is it?" Emmett asked, fixing his suit collar.

"I don't know. I just feel a little uncomfortable. I don't know these people and I feel like I'm crashing their celebration," Calvin admitted.

"You're not crashing. Joanne specifically asked me to bring you. Trust me, they are going to love you. Now, come on, we're going to miss it." Emmett grabbed Calvin's hand and dragged him into the church.

All of the pews were packed. _This is a huge church_, Emmett noted, finding two empty seats in the last row. He grabbed Calvin's hand and gave it a squeeze. The woman sitting next to them gave Emmett a dirty look but he ignored her.

The priest began by welcoming the families to the First Communion ceremony, but Emmett tuned him out. _Let's just get this over with,_ he thought, sighing. When the priest finished his speech, he asked the members of the congregation to rise and join him in a hymn. Gingerly, Emmett and Calvin stood up and reached for their hymnals; there weren't any. _This is going to be interesting_.

As they began to sing, the children filed into the room. Emmett kept a close eye out for Jessica, but all of the girls were wearing white dresses and veils, which made it difficult to spot her in the crowd. _Too bad she wasn't a boy, then I'd have a better chance of finding her._

The hymn continued and the children went up to stand at the altar.

The priest opened up his Bible and read a passage; Emmett let his mind wander to the party that was being held afterward. He had managed to find enough pink decorations to please Jessica and her mother and the cake had been delivered that morning. _Now all I have to do is have a good time and I'm done._

Emmett snapped to attention when the kids began to receive the Eucharist. Every time a girl knelt down and was given the bread, Emmett wondered if she was Jessica. _Since when do I care so much about her?_

After all of the children had completed the ceremony, they started to sing another hymn. "Another one?" Emmett grumbled. _Normally, I'd love a singsong, but I don't even know the words!_ Looking around in boredom, Emmett saw the Blacks smiling proudly. Still singing, the kids were led out of the church.

The service ended and Emmett and Calvin hurried outside. "Emmett!" Joanne called.

"I'll meet you at the car," Emmett said to Calvin. Fixing a smile on his face, he turned around.

"Hey!" he said. "That was some service, huh?"

"Yes it was. Was that your boyfriend?" Joanne asked, pointing at Calvin's retreating form.

"Yeah, that's Calvin. He went to go start the car. Don't worry though, you'll meet him at the party."

"Great. Okay, I'll see you at the house." Joanne gripped his arm fondly and went back inside.

Calvin was waiting in the car. "What was all that about?" he asked.

"She was asking about you, actually. Everybody's just dying to meet you."

"Really?"

"Are you kidding? Ever since I told them I was engaged to you, all they've done is ask questions about you."

"That's interesting," Calvin commented. "They sound like really nice people."

"They are. Actually, I was wondering if you'd mind if I invited them to wedding." Emmett kept his eyes on the road.

"Sure." Calvin shrugged. "If you want them there, that's enough for me."

"Thanks, sweetie." Emmett smiled.

When Emmett pulled into the driveway, Calvin gasped. "This place is huge!" he exclaimed, whistling satisfactorily.

"Wait until you see the inside. The first time I came here, I almost had a heart attack," Emmett replied. "I've been to rich people's houses before, I even dated one once," he paused for a second, "but nothing could prepare me for this place. It's absolutely gorgeous. Breath taking."

The party was being held in the back yard, but Emmett had to go inside to make sure that everything was as is should be. "You were right," Calvin muttered. "It's even nicer on the inside. Wow." Emmett smiled to himself. They went into the kitchen and Emmett glanced at the cake; it was exactly as it was supposed to be. _Okay, let's party!_

As soon as they stepped out onto the patio, Joanne and Charles rushed over. "Is this him?" Joanne asked, barely containing her excitement.

"Yes it is. Joanne and Charles, I'd like you to meet my soon to be husband, Calvin."

"It's a pleasure," Calvin said, shaking both Joanne and Charles's hands.

"We've heard so much about you," Joanne cooed. "You're even more handsome than I imagined."

"Oh, Joanne, leave the poor boy alone!" Charles reprimanded. "I'm sure he'd prefer to not be manhandled by strangers."

"We're not strangers anymore," Joanne reminded him, winking at Calvin.

Emmett excused himself for a minute to go congratulate Jessica. She'd changed out of her white dress and veil into a pink dress. She saw him coming and waved happily. "Congratulations, sweetie!" Emmett said, crouching down so that their eyes were almost level. "You looked so beautiful up there."

"I did?" Jessica blushed. _Oh boy,_ Emmett thought with a secret smile.

"Of course! You were the prettiest girl up there."

"Thanks." She laughed nervously.

Emmett reached into his coat pocket. "I wanted to give you this." He handed her an envelope.

"What is it?" Jessica asked, looking at it.

"It's a congratulatory present from me to you," Emmett replied, smiling.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome, sweetie. Now go have fun, this is your day."

Jessica ran off excitedly. _Was I ever wrong about this family. First I thought Joanne was a frigid old bitch and then I thought Jessica was a rude brat, turns out they're both as sweet as can be._ Emmett found Joanne and Calvin still on the patio. "Oh, Emmett, I love him! You two are great together!" Joanne exclaimed.

"Thank you. He makes me very happy." Calvin smiled. "By the way, I wanted to invite you to our wedding, if you're not too busy..."

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it for the world! When is it?"

"Next Tuesday," Calvin answered.

"I'll be there. Oh, I'm so excited! I just love weddings."

"Jackie and Jessica are invited, too. If they want to come," Emmett added.

"Jessica will like that. I think she's got a bit of a crush on you." Joanne winked at Emmett.

"I hadn't noticed," Emmett lied.

Charles called for his wife. "Okay, well I'd better go play hostess. It was lovely to meet you Calvin. And this," she pulled an envelope out of her purse, "is for you, Emmett. It's your paycheck."

"Thank you." Emmett tucked the envelope into his pocket. "It was a pleasure doing business with you again."

"The pleasure was all mine, dear." Joanne gave Emmett a quick hug before joining her husband.

Calvin smiled, his eyes gleaming. "What?" Emmett asked, checking to make sure he hadn't spilled anything on himself and that his fly was closed.

"Joanne. She's a character."

"Don't you just love her? Why couldn't my mother have been more like that?"

"She's very nice," Calvin agreed. "She thinks the world of you."

"What exactly did you two talk about while I was away?" Emmett asked, arching his eyebrows.

"Oh you know, this, that, everything."

"Uh huh and would 'this, that, everything' include me?"

"Maybe." Calvin chuckled.

"Well I think the world of her, too. She's...incredible."

"That she is."

After an hour or so, Calvin looked at his watch. "We have a showing at five," he reminded Emmett.

"Okay, we'll stay until after the cake is cut and then we'll go."

"Hopefully they'll do it soon. I want to change beforehand."

"Me, too."

Luckily, Jessica had grown restless and wanted some cake. Charles cut it for her and began to dole it out. Joanne handed both Emmett and Calvin a piece. "It's delicious," she said, enjoying her own piece.

"Thanks. Actually, we have to get going. We're looking at an apartment in an hour and by the time we get home and get changed..." Emmett began.

"Say no more. Take care and I'll see you next week for your big day." Joanne gave them both a hug and walked them to the front yard.

A couple of minutes later, once they were down the road a bit, Emmett opened the envelope and examined the check. "That old bitch!" he exclaimed.

"What? Did she cheat you out of some money?" Calvin asked disbelievingly.

"No, she gave me a bonus again," Emmett replied, laughing.

* * *

Justin was hard at work finishing the nursery. He'd decided that once the walls were painted he would be done, that he would save the decorating for after the baby was born.

He'd chosen to paint this room a neutral green, that way no matter what the baby's gender, it would still work.

Brian opened the door and watched for a minute. "Hard at work again I see," he said after a few seconds.

"I want to get this room done," Justin explained.

"You've got time," Brian reminded him, "Daphne's not even pregnant yet."

"I know, I just want to make this house ours. That's all."

"You're not going to go through and repaint all of the rooms, are you?" Brian asked.

"No. The other rooms are fine, I just wanted to do our room and the nursery. Once Gus comes for the summer, I thought I'd let him pick out a color for his room."

"He'll like that." Brian sighed.

"What?" Justin asked.

"It's nothing. I should probably give Lindsay a call, say hi to Gus before he forgets who I am. I've been so busy these past few weeks, I haven't gotten a chance to talk to him."

"He could never forget who you are Brian, he adores you. As someone who adores you just as much as your son, trust me, it is impossible to forget you." Justin stepped down and gave Brian a hug. "I'm done," he announced.

Brian looked around the room. "It looks good," he said, touching a dry area.

"I figured green would be a good color for a boy or a girl."

"Oh, God, what if we have twins?" Brian joked, mouth hanging open and eyes wide in shock.

"Don't even joke about that! We'd both go out of our minds. One baby I can handle, but two? No way."

"We could always hire a nanny." Brian shrugged.

"I suppose," Justin conceded.

Brian pulled out his cell phone. "Hopefully Gus is still up," he muttered, dialing Mel and Linz's number.

"If you get Lindsay, could I talk to her for a few minutes?" Justin asked.

"What the fuck for?" Brian asked, furrowing his brow.

"There's some stuff we need to talk about," Justin replied, smiling.

"Whatever." Lindsay finally answered. "Hey."

"Hey, Brian," Lindsay said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. "This is a surprise."

"Yeah. I wanted to talk to Gus, let him know I'm thinking of him."

"That's great. Mel's giving the kids a bath. Hold on, I'll get him."

"Wait. My darling wife wants a word with you first," Brian said snidely, handing the phone to Justin. "I'll be right back." He left the room.

"Lindsay?" Justin said.

"Hey, Justin! How are you?"

"I'm great. How are you guys?"

"We're doing all right. We miss Pittsburgh."

"Pittsburgh misses you, too."

Lindsay laughed. "So Brian said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah." Justin took a deep breath. "We're doing it."

"Doing what?" Lindsay asked.

"Having a baby!" Justin exclaimed.

"Oh, my God!" Justin could practically hear Linds' jaw hit the floor.

"I know. I'm so excited!"

"Congratulations!" Lindsay sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

"Thank you. If you weren't for you and Mel, I might never have asked him..."

"We didn't do anything, it was all you."

Justin could hear Melanie's voice in the background. "Tell Mel I said hi."

"Justin says hi," Lindsay relayed. "Mel says hi back and congratulations. So, how did you talk him into it?"

"It wasn't as hard as I'd thought it was going to be. I just told him that I wanted to have a baby and he agreed. He said that if it made me happy, he was all for it."

"Wow. He loves you so much."

"He does," Justin agreed, smiling.

"You know, I had to beg him repeatedly before he gave in and agreed to be Gus's father. I finally had to ask him when he was high. I'm glad you didn't have to go through that."

"Me, too."

"Did you do it yet?" Lindsay asked, excitement in her voice.

"Not yet. Daphne's monitoring her cycle and as soon as she starts ovulating...well you know the rest." Justin blushed despite that fact that Lindsay couldn't see him.

"Yeah. Don't worry, though, there's nothing to be nervous about. You get your own little room. You know, for when you..."

"Actually, Daphne and I are going to do it the old fashioned way," Justin said.

"Oh. How does Brian feel about that?" Lindsay couldn't hide the shock in her voice.

Justin checked to see if Brian had come back yet. He hadn't. "He's okay with it."

"I find that hard to believe. He's always gotten so jealous when it concerns you. Remember that time he came home and found you and Michael asleep in his bed?"

"Yeah. He pulled all of our sketches down and pissed on them." Justin remembered how hurt and angry he'd been the next morning when he'd woken up to discover what Brian had done. "Well, it's not like I'm cheating exactly. I'm only doing it so Daphne can get pregnant. She doesn't feel comfortable doing it the way you did."

"Just be careful, okay? Brian would never say anything, but I know him better than he'd like to admit and I know that he cares more than he's letting on."

Justin took a deep breath "Okay. I'll talk to him about it, promise." Brian walked in the door. "Okay, well, I'll let you go for now. Brian's back and I'm sure Gus is going to be going to bed soon. Here's Brian."

"Bye." Justin handed the phone to Brian and looked at him for a second, debating whether or not to broach the subject with him. _Later, he wants to talk to Gus now,_ Justin decided, walking out of the room.

"I'm back," Brian announced.

"Congratulations," Lindsay said, happily.

"He told you, didn't he?" Brian asked. _Of course he did, who else would?_

"Yeah. I'm so happy for you, Peter." Lindsay's voice choked with emotion.

"Thanks, Wendy. It makes him happy so..."

"You're a good person, Brian. I hope you know that."

Brian scoffed. "Don't get all emotional on me, Lindsay. I think what you need is a nice vacation to fair old Pittsburgh, that'll set you straight again."

"We'll be back soon. I promise."

"How much longer does Gus have preschool?"

"A few more weeks. When he's done, I'll bring him to you or you can come and get him. Whatever you want to do."

"All right, good. Now let me talk to my son, will you?"

"Sure. He's right here."

"Hello?" Gus said.

"Hey, Sonny Soy."

"Daddy!"

"How are you?"

"Good. I miss you, Daddy."

"I miss you, too, Gus. You'll have to come and see your old man soon."

"Yes!" Brian smiled at Gus's exuberance.

"Maybe I'll come and get you some weekend, so you can see the new house. Spend some time with Justin and I. How's that sound?"

"Yeah!" Brian laughed.

"Well, all right, Sonny Boy, I'd better let you go, you have school tomorrow. Behave yourself and I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Okay. Bye, Daddy, I love you."

"Love you, too." Brian disconnected, swallowing past the lump that had suddenly grown in his throat.

Justin appeared in the doorway. "How's he doing?" he asked, coming up next to Brian.

"Good. He misses us...wants to come visit."

"That's great! He can see the new house."

"My thoughts exactly." He held Justin close to him. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," Justin replied, kissing Brian tenderly. "Well, I don't know about you, but I am starving. I'm going to go down to the kitchen and see what I can scrounge up for dinner. Do you want anything?"

"I'll be right down," Brian promised. When he was sure that Justin was gone, he went into Gus's room and picked up the picture of the three of them. _My family, _he thought with a grim smile.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian's nightmare comes true: his 34th birthday rolls around.


	34. Thirty Fucking Four

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Daphne agreed to carry Brian and Justin's child.

Emmett and Ted decided to have a double wedding.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Three

A few days later, it was Brian's thirty-fourth birthday. When his alarm clock went off at 7, he stared at it for a long while, lost in thought. _I can't believe I'm thirty-four!_ he thought with an exasperated sigh. _Before I know it, I'll be old and decrepit, but at least I'll still have Justin. Maybe._ "Are you going to turn that off?" Justin grumbled, burying his head under the pillow.

"Yeah," Brian answered, hitting the off button. The room was silent once again except for their breathing. "What do you say we take the day off and stay in?" Brian asked. The last thing he felt like doing on such a catastrophic day was going into work.

"We can't. You have that important meeting, remember?

"Shit," Brian hissed.

"But there is good news."

"And what is that?"

I'm not auditing today and Kiki's covering my shift at the diner"

"So?"

"So, I can come to work with you today and prepare for my internship." Justin grinned devilishly.

"That could be fun." Brian considered the possibilities: sex, sex, and more sex.

"And I'm not officially interning yet, so we can fuck all over your office and I can't get in trouble," Justin added, sitting up.

"My day's suddenly looking better."

They took a quick shower and got dressed. Justin decided to keep Brian's birthday out of the conversation as much as possible. He'd planned plenty of treats for Brian throughout the day and figured that reminded him that he was another year older would spoil the fun. But he did have some presents stashed away for when they got home.

"Isn't it a beautiful day today?" Justin asked excitedly.

"I guess," Brian muttered, shaking his head. It was way too early in the morning to be as chipper as Justin was.

"What's wrong with you? Did we stay up too late having sex?" Justin teased.

"There is no such thing as too late," Brian insisted, smiling.

"Apparently." Justin put an arm around Brian, leaning in close.

Brian smiled down at him. "I enjoyed myself last night."

"Me, too." Justin chuckled and poured himself and Brian a cup of coffee.

"We'd better get going." Brian looked down at his watch. "We don't want to be late."

"No, we wouldn't want that."

"No," Brian agreed, sighing.

To cheer Brian up, Justin was more than happy to give Brian a blow job on the way to work, though there was an unsaid promise that sex would follow once they got home. "Happy birthday," Justin said as he moved back into his seat, fastening his seatbelt.

"You had the kill the moment, didn't you?" Brian joked, tossing the cum rag at Justin.

"You know that you're not old, right?" Justin asked, suddenly serious. Brian looked over at him but didn't say anything. "When are you going to get over this old age shit?"

"I know it seems crazy to you, but you'll understand it one day," Brian replied.

"Maybe," Justin relented. "But you'll never be old to me. Even when you're a hundred, you'll always be the gorgeous twenty-nine year old you were the night we met."

Brian couldn't help but smile at the sentiment. "You're right, Sunshine." He leaned over and planted a sloppy kiss on Justin's cheek. "It's time I got over aging. You know what the best part of getting old is going to be?"

"Social security?" Justin asked glibly.

"No. Growing old with someone younger than me. It'll be a nice reminder that I was once young and hot." Now it was Justin's turn to smile, but his was like a sudden light in total darkness. "Besides, I still have a few years left before I need to start worrying about Viagra, that's when I'm really going to panic."

"You're unbelievable," Justin chuckled.

When they got to work, the office was quiet. There were cars in the parking lot, but no one was around. "They're not going to jump out and yell 'surprise,' are they?" Brian asked tentatively. Even though he was in a better mood than he'd been in earlier, he couldn't be held responsible for the pain he inflicted on anyone under those circumstances.

"No. I told them that if they did you'd rip their heads off," Justin answered.

"That sounds about right. So where is everyone then?"

"I advised them to make themselves scarce, I figured you wouldn't be in the best of moods today."

"You know me so well," Brian replied, playfully bussing Justin on the cheek.

Cynthia rounded the corner and caught Brian's eye. She opened her mouth to speak, but Brian held up a hand. "Save it," he ordered.

"Okay..." Cynthia shook her head. "In that case, I won't remind you that you have a meeting in an hour."

"No need, I remember." Brian opened the door to his office and motioned for Justin to follow him in. "I need you to go over these files and get acclimated with them," he said, handing a file to Justin.

"What, I'm not fetching coffee today? I guess fucking the boss does come in handy," Justin joked, opening the folder and skimming its contents.

"Very funny. You're backing me up on this one."

"Wait, what?" Justin shut the folder and sat down. "You want me to back you up?" Why would Brian want him in a meeting with the client? What did he know about advertising?

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Brian asked, arching an eyebrow.

"But why?" Justin knit his brows in confusion. "I'm not even an intern yet!"

"Experience," Brian stated simply, giving Justin a curt smile. "They'll be here in less than an hour so I'd suggest you get cracking."

By the time the client showed up, Justin had read the entire file. A local cosmetics company was releasing a new line of anti-wrinkle cream and had hired Brian to design the ad campaign that would put them on the map. He still wasn't exactly sure why Brian had insisted that he sit it on the meeting, but figured that Brian wouldn't have him there if he didn't think it was important.

The company's representatives sat down and awaited Brian's pitch. He showed them his designs, which featured a middle-aged woman before and after she'd started using the cream. "As you can see, before she starting using the product, she definitely looked her age. However, once she started the treatment, she looks ten to fifteen years younger," he explained.

"I like it," the woman representative said. "It gets the point across without the bullshit."

"I agree," her co-worker added. "We'll go with it."

"Excellent." Brian smiled and signaled for Cynthia to come in. "Thanks for stopping by. Cynthia will show you out." He shook hands with the representatives before they left. "So, what did you think?" he asked Justin when the room was empty.

"About what?" Justin replied. He'd just sat and watched Brian's presentation.

"The campaign," Brian continued. "Based on what they were looking for, do you think that I met the requirements?"

Justin shrugged. He wasn't an expert on advertising and he really had no desire to be. Art was his main passion. After Brian of course. "I would say so. They seemed to like it..."

"Don't worry about them right now. I'm asking you."

"Yes," he said with finality. He figured that had he been in charge of the company, he would have been satisfied with the ad campaign.

"Good," Brian said, smiling for the first time since the meeting had begun.

"Why are you asking me this?" Justin inquired.

"I know that you want to be an artist and I support you fully, you know that. But we could use your talents here. My offer still stands…if you're interested." Before he and Justin had broken up the last time, Brian had offered Justin a position at Kinnetik.

"You mean?" Justin could feel the blood pumping in his ears.

"The job's yours if you want it. After the summer, of course. It would mean no more working at the diner making a nonexistent salary and since you're still a student you'd only be part-time for now. After you graduate, I could be persuaded to promote you to full-time."

Justin laughed in disbelief. He didn't think that Brian offer him the job again. And while it wasn't his dream job, it was a job. A job that payed a hell of a lot better than working at the diner did for which he could actually use his artistic skills. Plus, he'd get to spend the whole day with Brian. How could he refuse? "I'll take it," he said, throwing his arms around Brian. "Thank you!"

"Don't thank me, I didn't do anything," Brian replied with a smile that told Justin that he was lying.

"Really? Well, I don't care. I'm still going to show my appreciation."

"How?" Justin got down on his knees and unzipped Brian's pants, pulling them down around his ankles. Brian closed his eyes and leaned his head back. Two blow jobs in one day and it wasn't even lunch time yet. What a perfect birthday.

* * *

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Brian didn't stray from his office except to find Ted about the finances. He looked at the time on his computer screen and sighed. The day was over and he wanted to get home to see Gus. Though, he did have a craving for beer. Justin came in without knocking and sat down. " Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yep," Brian replied, shutting his computer down. "Let's get out of here."

"Since it's your birthday, I think we should celebrate," Justin said, following Brian out the door.

"We already have. Twice." Brian shot Justin a sly grin.

"I was thinking that maybe we could stop by Woody's and get a few drinks."

"You have school first thing in the, morning" Brian pointed out.

"We won't stay too late. Just a few drinks and then we'll go home and fuck."

"Is that my birthday present?" Brian joked, draping his arm over Justin's shoulder.

"Yeah. So what do you say?" Justin hoped that Brian wouldn't detect the eagerness in his voice, otherwise the surprise would be ruined. He'd invited their friends to meet them at Woody's to celebrate Brian's birthday. Brian acted like he didn't want to celebrate, but Justin knew that deep down he would be touched.

"Fine," Brian relented. "One drink." He held up a finger to demonstrate.

"That's good enough for me," Justin assured him, getting into the car.

When Brian pulled up by Woody's he started to get a little suspicious. The place was not as packed as it normally was. "Sunshine, you wouldn't happen to have some kind of surprise planned, now would you?" he asked, making full eye contact with Justin.

"No," Justin answered, biting his lip to keep from smiling. Luckily the sky was dark or Brian would have seen the sudden flush in his cheeks.

"Nothing up your sleeve?

"I'm not wearing sleeves," Justin answered with a sarcastic smile.

"Smart ass."

"You hate birthday parties, remember?"

"Just checking." Brian got out and together they crossed the street.

As he stepped through the door, Brian noticed that the bar was empty save for the bartender, polishing the bar. Justin slammed the door behind him. Suddenly, Michael, Ben, Ted, Blake, Emmett, Calvin, and Debbie popped up from behind the bar shouting, "Surprise!"

Brian turned to look at Justin, who was looking everywhere but at Brian. "Nothing planned huh?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I lied," Justin said, smiling.

"Do you remember when I threatened to tie your balls so tight they'd ache for a week?" Brian continued.

"Uh huh," Justin answered, knowing full well what came next.

"When we get home, I'm doing it."

"I can't wait." Brian put his arm around Justin and led him to the bar. "You guys really shouldn't have done this."

"Why the fuck not?" Deb asked. "There's a lot to celebrate." She reached under the bar and brought out a cake. "Here, have some cake and then we'll talk."

"I can't..." Brian began.

"No excuses. Eat it!" Debbie ordered, putting a piece on a plate and shoving it toward him.

"Yes, Mother," Brian said under his breath, taking a bit of the cake. He got frosting on his lip and leaned in to kiss Justin, letting him lick it off.

Michael took the seat on other side of Brian. "Happy birthday," he said, kissing Brian on the cheek.

"Thanks, Mikey." Brian returned the kiss and as Deb put another plate of cake on the bar, he slid it over to Michael. "Have some cake."

"Like it was even an option?" Michael shot back. Brian laughed. Debbie raised her eyebrows at them but couldn't hold back a smile. The others joined them at the bar and Deb made sure that everyone got a piece of cake.

It didn't take long for the cake to be devoured. "Time for presents!" Debbie trilled, bursting with excitement.

"What presents?" Brian demanded, exhaling sharply. He hated opening presents in front of people. Deb set a medium sized package down in front of him and smiled. "It's from all of us," she explained. Sighing, Brian tore the wrapping off of the box and opened it. He pulled out a smaller box.

"A box of Depends," he said, nodding his head slowly. He was glad that it was a gaggle gift and not something expensive.

"You'll look great in those Brian," Emmett asserted, sticking out his tongue.

"Fuck all of you." He laughed despite his harsh words.

"We thought you could use them," Ted explained. "Since you're getting up there now and are becoming less independent..."

"Really? Well how do you do it? You're way older than me, Theodore. I'm sure you know all about shitting yourself." Brian retorted. Everyone laughed.

"Good one, Bri," Ted said. He knew that Brian was just kidding, even if his words did sting a little.

The drinks were on the house in celebration of the event. After two beers, Brian cut himself off. "I have to drive home," he explained, looking at his watch. "Which reminds me, we'ds better get going."

"Already?" Debbie squeaked. "It's only quarter after seven!"

"Justin has school bright and early," Brian informed her. "What kind of husband would I be if I kept him out all night fucking around?"

"So, you're going to take him home and keep him up all night fucking." Deb laughed. "That's so much more responsible."

Brian thanked his friends for the party and dragged Justin back to car. "Aren't you glad you have such good, loving friends?" Justin asked.

"I guess," Brian replied, starting the engine. The gang stepped out onto the sidewalk and waved Brian and Justin off.

* * *

By the time they got home, Brian was exhausted. However, he had saved up enough energy to fuck Justin's brains out a few times before he crashed. Maybe he'd take a quick catnap and then they'd do it a few more times. It was his birthday after all , and as much as he bitched about not wanting to make a big deal out of it, he didn't mind some forms of celebration.

Before they could get their shoes off, Brian's cell phone rang. He looked down at the caller ID.

"Who is it?" Justin asked.

"Lindsay."

"It's probably Gus calling to wish you a happy birthday."

Brian's lips tugged into a smile as he answered. "Hello."

"Brian." It was Lindsay.

"How are you?"

"Good. What about you?"

"Likewise." Brian met Justin's gaze. "Thanks for asking.

"We just wanted to call and wish you a happy birthday. I would have called earlier, but I knew you'd be celebrating with Justin."

"We're getting ready to celebrate again." Brian arched an eyebrow when Justin rolled his eyes.

"I'll let you talk to Gus, then. Happy birthday."

"Thanks."

There was a moment of silence before Gus took the phone. "Happy birthday, Daddy," he said, his tone excited.

"Thanks, Sonny Boy " Brian felt a pang of sadness. It had only been a few weeks since he'd last seen Gus and a few weeks before he'd be back again, but he missed his son, anyway. "How are you doing?"

"Good. I want to come see you and Justin."

"In a few weeks," Brian reminded him. "When you're done with preschool." Gus yawned. "You sound tired. I'd better let you go for now so you can get to bed. I'll call you in a few days, okay?"

"Okay. Good night, Daddy."

"Good night."

Brian disconnected and chewed his lip, willing the sadness that gripped him to subside.

It's okay"," Justin said, putting a comforting hand of his shoulder.

"Yeah." Brian sighed deeply.

"Go relax. I'll get started on dinner." Brian nodded and went upstairs to take a shower.

Justin started dinner. It was going on eight o'clock so he'd decided on something simple, since Brian didn't like to eat after seven. Brian – freshly showered - sat down in the den and Justin presented Brian with his first birthday present. "It's from Gus and I," Justin explained. The weekend of the wedding, he had taken Gus out to the store and let him pick something out. They'd taken a picture of the three of them and had coffee cups made with the image emblazoned on the side. "Wow," Brian said, pulling the cups out. "These are great. Thanks." He gave Justin a kiss and brought the cups into the kitchen, putting them in the cupboard so they wouldn't get broken.

"I have a present for you, too," Justin said quietly. He hadn't really known what to get Brian. If his funds were unlimited maybe he'd have had no problem, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. He'd considered getting something as a gaggle gift but decided that if he was going to spend the money, it may as well be for something that Brian would actually like. "Wait until after we eat."

After dinner, Brian and Justin did the dishes together and went back into the den, opening a bottle of wine. "What a day," Brian commented, sipping his drink.

"Yeah," Justin agreed. "So, is this the best birthday ever or what?" He rested his head on Brian's shoulder.

"The best."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Justin replied. "Which reminds me..."

"What?"

"Your present."

He took Brian's hand and led him up to the room and grabbed the present that he'd stashed under the bed where he knew Brian wouldn't go looking. When he handed Brian the box, he licked his lips nervously. He hoped that Brian liked the present. "Go on. Open it," he said, nodding encouragingly. Brian pulled the wrapping off and lifted the top off. It was a black leather jacket. "I know that you have a couple different ones," Justin began, "but I saw this at the mall and knew that you'd like it."

"Justin..." Brian took the jacket out and tried it on. It was just the right size. Perfect. As much as he loved it, he knew that Justin must've spent the majority of his money on it and felt bad. "Thank you." He looked deeply into Justin's eyes. "I love it."

"But...?" Justin prompted raising his eyebrows. If Brian didn't like it, why didn't he just say so?

"I can't accept this," Brian replied, taking the jacket off and folding it back up.

"What?" Justin didn't know what to say. Apparently Brian liked the jacket, which was good, but why would he turn it down?

Brian took Justin's hand in his and kissed it tenderly. "I really appreciate the sentiment, but I know that you can't afford this." Justin nodded in understanding. "So, I want you to return it, keep the money for yourself. You need it."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Justin asked, chuckling.

"What?" Brian asked, blinking.

"You just gave me a job. With what I'll be making for you I can afford this." Brian had forgotten about that. "So please, accept it."

"Okay," Brian yielded. "Thank you." He leaned down and kissed Justin softly.

"You're welcome," Justin replied, breathless. "Now, how about the second part of your present?"

"There's more?" Brian asked. _Justin must be broke by now._

"Don't worry, it doesn't cost anything." Brian arched his eyebrow. "Okay, well yeah it did, but I didn't pay for it, you did."

"So what is it?" Brian asked, his interest piqued. Something he had paid for...

Justin took his hand and led him up the bedroom. He stripped naked and got into the bed.

Laughing, Brian got out of his clothes and joined Justin in bed.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **The gang celebrates Emmett and Ted's double wedding, but before that, they hold a stag party at Woody's that won't be forgotten for a long, long time.


	35. Double Wedding, Is There Anything Gayer?

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Ted confessed that he was nervous about the upcoming wedding ceremony.

Emmett bonded with Joanne Black and invited her to the wedding.

Carl and Debbie got married.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Four

The next week, Brian, Justin, Michael, and Ben hosted a stag party for the two engaged couples at Woody's. They would have been surprised if they hadn't all discussed it at breakfast the week before. Unbeknownst to the others, Brian had paid the owner to close the bar down to everybody but them and the stripper they'd ordered.

The stripper, Big Willy wasn't supposed to appear for another fifteen minutes, so the guys sat down at the bar and ordered drinks. "This place is dead tonight," Emmett noted, looking around. "I don't think I've ever seen it this empty."

"Well actually..." the bartender began, but at Brian's threatening glare, he bit his tongue.

"That was weird," Emmett murmured.

The door opened and in walked Debbie with a big grin on her face. "Hey!" she exclaimed, joining them at the bar.

"Ma! What are you doing here, this is a stag party!" Michael hissed.

"So? I figured since you're all a bunch of queens and I have more balls than all of you combined, I had a right to be here," Deb replied, laughing.

"I'm glad you could make it," Emmett assured her. "It wouldn't be a party without you."

"Thanks, honey. It's nice to know that someone cares." She shot Michael an angry look.

"I'm sorry," Michael grumbled.

"I didn't hear you, what did you say?" Deb asked, pointing to her ear.

"I'm sorry."

"That's more like it." She gave Michael a light slap. "Now let's get this party started, come on!" she whooped loudly, hoping to keep the mood light.

"Big Willy will be here soon," Brian told her. "Until then, we're just hanging out, drinking."

"Who the fuck's Big Willy?"

"The stripper I ordered."

"Oh. Sounds hot!" Debbie ordered a drink. She hadn't seen a good male stripper in a long time.

Before long, the stripper arrived. "Now the party begins!" Emmett exclaimed, eagerly awaiting the show.

"Which ones are the grooms?" Big Willy asked Brian.

"They are." He pointed to Emmett, Ted, Blake, and Calvin. The stripper winked at Brian and hopped up onto the bar and began to slowly remove his clothes. Everybody's attention shifted to the striptease on the bar top. Calvin and Emmett whooped and hollered, encouraging the stripper to take it off. Meanwhile, Ted and Blake were watching in rapt fascination.

Willy was now down to his red thong. "He definitely doesn't disappoint," Emmett murmured, licking his lips. "Though, he's nothing compared to you." He kissed Calvin's cheek.

"What do you think?" Brian asked Justin.

"I don't know," Justin shrugged. "He's cute enough I guess. He's just not my type."

"Good boy!" Brian nibbled Justin's ear. "For that, you get a little present later."

"Mmmm a _little_ present? I thought it was a big present?" He looked away from Willy and kissed Brian.

"You know, I don't care if he's gay or not, I'd still have a go," Debbie muttered to Justin.

"Deb, you're married," he jokingly reminded her.

"So?"

"Nothing."

"That's what I thought, Sunshine." Debbie laughed.

Emmett slipped a twenty dollar bill into Willy's thong. "Is that enough to get a full view?" he asked.

"A quick flash," Willy replied, complying.

"Wow," Ted gasped. "That was..."

"Big?" Blake supplied.

"Yeah."

"I don't know what to say," Michael muttered.

"Best not to say anything." Ben cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Wipe the drool off your chins, boys," Calvin teased. "Your making fools of yourselves."

Willy finished his routine and hopped down from the bar. "I've got another gig," he explained, slipping back into his clothes. Brian waved him over and handed him a roll of bills. "Thank you, sir."

"Thank you," Brian replied. Willy winked at him again and left.

"Well, now what do we do?" Emmett asked, ordering another drink.

"Now, it's time for presents!" Deb exclaimed handing Emmett a pink bag and Ted a blue one. They stared at the bags questioningly. "Well? Open them."

"Okay." Ted did as he was told and pulled out a DVD. "_Aida_. Deb, thank you so much!" He leaned over and kissed Debbie on the cheek. "I've been meaning to buy this for years. Really though, you shouldn't have, with your financial problems, it..."

"I'm fine now," Debbie assured him, looking at Brian. "It's all taken care of." Brian nodded.

"I'm glad to hear that. Really, Deb, thank you."

"I saw it at the bookstore and thought of you and Blake. I know how much you boys love opera."

"Thanks, Debbie," Blake said, smiling.

"What about you, Em?" Ted asked.

"I got..." Emmett reached into the bag. "_Portrait in Black_ and _Madame X_? Thank you!"

"You're welcome, sweetie. Just so you all know, these aren't your wedding presents, these are just party gags."

Michael chuckled. "We brought your wedding presents, we figured it'd be less hectic tomorrow if you opened some of them today." He handed Emmett a small box and gave Ted a small envelope. "Calvin and Blake, you'll enjoy the presents, too," he added.

"Oh!" Emmett exclaimed, opening his present. "How did you know we needed new plates?"

"My mother told me," Michael admitted, blushing. "They're more practical than anything."

"It doesn't matter. Thank you, both of you."

"You're welcome," Ben and Michael said in unison.

Ted opened his envelope and pulled out two tickets. "Tickets for _Cabaret_? Thank you guys!"

"You're welcome."

"We thought you'd get use out of these tonight," Brian said, handing both Ted and Emmett a box of condoms. "Enjoy."

"How thoughtful, thanks," Emmett muttered, rolling eyes.

"Yeah, Brian," Ted agreed.

The drinks kept coming. By midnight, Emmett had had a few too many and got up on the bar and started dancing. "Oh, my God!" Debbie exclaimed. "How much has he had to drink?"

"Too much apparently," Brian replied, eyes wide.

"I got a little show for you, Calvin," Emmett murmured, laughing.

"How about you save it till we get home?" Calvin suggested, helping Emmett down.

"Fine. Whatever."

After a couple of hours, Debbie was exhausted. "I'm going home," she announced, standing up. "I'll see you all tomorrow." She gave Emmett, Ted, Blake, and Calvin hugs on her way out.

"I'm kinda tired, too," Michael admitted yawning.

"You can go if you want," Emmett replied. "Calvin and I aren't staying much longer. It's getting pretty late and I am going to have a hell of a hangover tomorrow."

"Yeah, I need my beauty sleep," Ted added. He looked over at Blake, who had fallen asleep next to him. "I'm gonna get going, too. Bye, guys."

"Bye." They all said in unison. Ted woke Blake up and helped him out to the car.

Brian ordered another drink. "Careful there, we have still drive all the way home," Justin cautioned.

"You can drive, it's fine," Brian replied. Justin smiled. "I trust you."

"Cool."

After another hour, everyone was ready to go. "I'll see you tomorrow," Emmett said to Brian and Justin on his way to the car.

"Later." Justin waved. "All right, come on." He helped Brian into the car. "Careful, watch your head."

"Okay," Brian nodded his head, eyes half open.

By the time they got home, Brian was barely conscious. "This is going to be fun," Justin grumbled as he helped Brian up the stairs. Once in the bedroom, he pulled Brian's shirt off and unzipped his pants. After Brian climbed into bed, he pulled the blankets up over them. "Good night," he whispered, kissing Brian.

"Night," Brian slurred, eyes closing.

Justin nuzzled up next to Brian and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Emmett and Ted were changing into their suits. Calvin and Blake were in the room next door doing the same. "That was some party last tonight," Ted said, yawning.

"Yeah, it was. I had a lot of fun," Emmett replied. "Though I did wake up with a migraine."

"Me, too." Ted was struggling with his collar.

"Here, let me help." Emmett straightened it for him.

"Thanks, Em."

"You're welcome." He took a deep breath and let it out. "So, Teddy, there's something I've been meaning to ask you..."

"What?"

"Are you still...nervous? About the wedding, I mean."

Ted smiled wanly. "Not really. I don't even know why I let it bother me at all. This is supposed to be a time of joy and celebration. You were right, I worry too much."

"That's good." Emmett frowned.

"Why, are you nervous?" Ted asked, sensing the tension.

"A little," Emmett admitted. "It just hit me this morning."

"Well as Ben said, everyone's a little nervous. It isn't like you're having second thoughts or anything, right?"

Emmett hesitated before answering. He wasn't having second thoughts exactly, he was just starting to panic. _I knew I should've taken a Xanax this morning!_ "No," he finally answered, brow furrowed. "I'm not having second thoughts. I'm just nervous."

"Good." Ted heaved a sigh of relief. "If you left me to go through this on my own, I'd have to kill you."

"Never," Emmett promised, looking at his reflection in the mirror. "How do I look?"

"Pink," Ted replied, managing to keep a straight face.

"Really, Teddy, how do I look?"

"You look gorgeous, Em. You look like you're ready to get married."

"Thanks for being such a good friend." The tears spilled down his cheeks before he even noticed that they were there.

"You, too," Ted replied, voice choked with emotion. "You were there for me during the hardest time of my life, and you had every reason to shut me out, but you didn't. I don't know if I'd be here today if it weren't for you."

"Oh, Teddy." Emmett cried harder. "I didn't do anything you wouldn't have done for me."

"Still, thanks."

"I love you," Emmett sobbed.

"Come on, Em, don't get all emotional yet, let's save that for the actual ceremony."

"Okay." They hugged each other tightly. "You're right. I can't go out there looking red and puffy." Ted laughed.

Someone knocked on the door. "We're ready," Blake said.

"We'll be right out," Ted replied, sniffling a little. "Here," he handed Emmett a Kleenex. "Blow your nose and we'll be ready to go."

"Thanks." Emmett laughed. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Let's go." Ted held out his arm and Emmett graciously took it. _I'm so glad that my best friend is here with me today,_ he thought.

They stepped out of the room and walked into the chapel, where Calvin and Blake were waiting at the altar next to the minister. As soon as Emmett saw Calvin, his nervousness dissipated. _I love him. I want to spend the rest of my life with him._ _I can't live without him. _

Ted looked out at their friends. Deb was crying already, Michael and Ben were smiling, and Brian sat stoic as always, though Justin had tears in his eyes. He spotted his mother in the front pew, smiling. _These people are my family. I'd be absolutely nothing without them._ "Shall we begin?" the minister asked, smiling.

"Sure," Ted replied, sidling up next to Blake and grabbing his hand.

"I'm ready," Emmett answered, winking at Calvin.

The minister launched into a speech that no one listened to. Michael hurried up to the altar with the rings. "Thank you," the minister said to Michael before facing Ted and Blake. Because there were two sets of grooms, they skipped through the vows. "T,ed, do take Blake to be your husband?" she asked.

"I do," Ted replied, blinking a tear away.

"Do you, Blake, take Ted to be your husband?"

"I do." Blake let his tears fall freely.

She turned to Emmett and Calvin. "Do you, Emmett, take Calvin to be your husband?"

"Yes, I do," Emmett said excitedly. Everybody laughed.

"And do you, Calvin, take Emmett to be your life husband?"

"I do." Calvin couldn't hold back his smile.

"Then by the power vested in me by your assembled friends and family, I now pronounce these two couples married. You may kiss."

Their family cheered as both couples kissed. "We're married!" Emmett shouted, jumping up into Calvin's arms. "I love you so much!"

"I love you, too," Calvin replied, kissing Emmett passionately.

"We're not doing that," Ted said to Blake, laughing.

"That's okay, we'll just do this." Blake leaned in and kissed Ted. "How's that?"

"Good." Ted kissed Blake back.

After everyone had had a chance to congratulate the married couples, the reception began. Justin had pulled some strings and talked Shanda Leer, a drag queen performer, into being the musical guest of honor. "A party's not a party without Shanda Leer!" Emmett exclaimed, hugging her. "How have you been? I haven't seen you in forever."

"I've been fabulous. After that whole bashing incident and the bomb at Babylon, I took some time off and went to New York."

"I was in New York," Justin said, laughing. "What a coincidence."

"It was great, wasn't it?" Shanda Leer asked. "I had a great time."

"Yeah, it was," Justin lied. "Well, it was great to see you."

"You too, Justin, take care. Oh, and congratulations." She nodded at Brian. "I heard about you getting married."

"Thanks. He makes me very happy."

"Glad to hear it. Now, 'd better get up on that stage before they find a replacement act." Shanda Leer excused herself and climbed up onto the stage.

When she began to sing, the couples started to dance. "You know, it seems like just yesterday that you and I met at Babylon," Ted said to Blake. "I can't believe it's actually been four years."

"I'm glad it's been so long. I was a different person back then, a pathetic drug addict who got you to take GHB and when you overdosed, I left you alone on the floor of your apartment..." Blake paused and guiltily looked down at his feet. "I'm much prouder of the man I am today."

"Blake, I forgave you for that a long time ago, it's about time you forgave yourself, too," Ted replied, lifting Blake's chin so that they were looking into each other's eyes.

"You're right." Blake smiled. "The past is the past."

After the first song, Emmett took a seat to catch his breath. Carl came and sat down next to him. "Emmett," he said by way of greeting.

"Hey, Carl. You having a good time?"

"Yeah. Look, there's something I want to say to you." Carl chewed his lip for a second.

"Oh?"

"I want you to know that it's your family's loss that they're not here today. They're missing out on something wonderful."

"Thanks, Carl," Emmett smiled.

"And no matter what happens, Debbie and I will always be here for you, you're like a son to us. I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you, I needed that." Emmett started to cry once more. "Oh, gosh, I'm such a drama queen, I can't make it through my own goddamn wedding without crying like a baby." He laughed.

"It happens to the best of us," Carl assured him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my lovely wife wants to dance."

"Go get her," Emmett encouraged, winking at Deb.

He was about to go rejoin Calvin, when he saw Joanne walking toward him. "Joanne, I'm so glad you could make it!" He gave her a hug.

"Are you kidding? You are part of my family now, and family sticks together," Joanne replied.

"Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me."

"Are your parents here? I'd love to meet them."

"Actually, I haven't spoken to them in years. They kind of disowned me after I came out."

"I've very sorry to hear that." Joanne rubbed his shoulder. "You've got a wonderful family here in Pittsburgh, Emmett. Never forget it.

"I won't. I'm very grateful to have such good friends." Calvin called for Emmett. "Well, I'd better get back to my husband before he finds someone else to dance with. "See ya."

Emmett went back to Calvin, and after kissing, they started to dance.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk:** Brian and Justin get the call from Daphne. But will Justin be able to have sex with someone else, even if it is meaningless?


	36. Brian's Torment

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Brian and Justin decided to start a family. Daphne offered to carry the baby, with Justin as the father.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Five

By the beginning of the next week, Justin had finally finished painting the nursery. He would have finished sooner, but he'd been dividing his time between work, school, painting the nursery, working on his masterpiece, and keeping the house clean. Brian had suggested that they keep their cleaning lady, but Justin had refused. "It's my house, I want to clean it," he'd said.

"Whatever, have it your way," Brian had replied, rolling his eyes.

It was one of Justin's days off from both work and school, and since Brian was still at work, he had the house all to himself. _I have this _palace_ to myself_, he thought. _Actually, it's kind of depressing. This house is enormous and I've got no one to share it with._ Sighing, he closed the door to the nursery and went down the long hallway to the stairs.

As soon as he reached the bottom step, his cell phone rang. _Damn! Just when I was about to start working on my painting_, he thought answering it. "Hello." _It better not be my mother calling to ask when we're going to invite her over to come see the house._

"Justin, it's me." It wasn't Jennifer. _Thank God._ It was Daphne.

"Daphne?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, what's up?"

"Not a whole lot. I thought you should know that I'm...God, I can't believe I'm saying this...I'm ovulating." Justin's heart started to pound in his chest. _Oh, my God, it's finally happening! I'm going to become a father! _His face lit up in a smile.

"Daphne, that's great!" He couldn't hold back a joyous laugh.

"Yeah. So, whenever you're ready in the next couple of days..."

"I can be there later tonight, I just have to wait for Brian to get home from work, if that's okay with you."

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll be home."

"Thanks a million, Daph."

"Don't mention it. You know I'd do anything for you."

"Yeah."

"I'll see you in a couple of hours, okay?"

"Okay. See you then, bye." Justin disconnected.

Pulse pounding, Justin ran back upstairs and changed into blue jeans and a sweatshirt. He debated calling Brian, but figured that he would be on his way home soon and wanted to keep it a surprise until then. _Relax, you're going to give yourself an aneurysm!_ Taking deep breaths, Justin went into his studio and tried to work on his painting.

Unfortunately, he couldn't concentrate on the painting. He couldn't stop thinking about the fact that if everything went as planned, he'd be making a baby in less than two hours and that in about nine months, he'd be holding his child in his arms. "Come on Brian," Justin hissed, looking out the window to see if Brian's car was coming up the drive yet.

Very slowly, an hour passed. Justin busied himself in the kitchen making a cake, even though he knew that most likely Brian wouldn't eat it anyway. _More for me._ He licked the chocolate out of the bowl and smiled. _Delicious! Brian doesn't know what he's missing._ After he put the cake in the oven, he did the dishes, desperate to distract himself in any way possible.

When the front door opened, Justin had to use all of his willpower not to run into the foyer and jump on Brian. "I'm home," Brian called, shutting the door behind him.

"I'm in the kitchen," Justin shouted back. _It's almost time!_

"Is that cake I smell?" Brian asked when he came in the room.

"Chocolate Chocolate Chip," Justin confirmed. "I'm celebrating."

"Celebrating what?" Brian furrowed his brow. He leaned down and kissed Justin.

Justin smiled and looked Brian dead in the eye. "I got the call," he said, heart racing once more.

"From Daphne?" Brian asked, a faint smile on his lips.

"Yeah. She's ready, so I thought I'd go over there tonight and…well, you know." Justin blushed.

"I know." Brian looked down at his shoes.

"Are you okay?" Justin asked. His conversation with Lindsay came back to him. Was Brian really okay with the arrangement? Could he go through with it and not feel guilty?

"I'm fine. Why?"

"You just seem..." he hesitated before finishing. "Upset."

"Why would I be upset?" Brian asked, chewing his lip.

Justin wrung his hands. "Are you really okay with me sleeping with Daphne?" he blurted.

"What?" Brian laughed in disbelief. _Am I that transparent?_

"If you aren't I'd understand, just tell me what you're thinking. Please." He grabbed Brian's hands in his. "Please," he repeated, begging.

"I'm fine with it," Brian lied. "I know it doesn't mean anything."

"Are you sure? If you're not, tell me now. I won't go through with it. We'll work it out."

"I'm sure." Brian's voice cracked. _Goddamn it,_ he thought. "You go do what you have to do, I'll be here waiting when you get back. I promise."

"Thank you," Justin murmured, kissing Brian. "You don't know how much this means to me."

"No, but I know it makes you happy, and that makes it important to me, too," Brian replied.

"I wish you could be there."

"What for? To hold your hand?" Brian laughed. "You know how to do it. You'll be fine. If you have any problems getting it up, just think of what I'm going to do to you when you get home, if that doesn't get a rise out of you, nothing will." He kissed Justin and handed him the keys to the car. "Take it," he said.

"Thanks."

Justin gave Brian one more quick kiss before he headed for the door. "Drive safe and don't forget this." He tossed Justin's cell phone to him. "Keep it on."

"Anything else?" Justin joked.

"One more thing." Brian leaned in and kissed Justin." I love you."

"I love you, too." Justin kissed him back. "Now, I'd better get going before it gets too late. I'll see you later."

"Bye."

When the door closed behind Justin, Brian walked into the kitchen and got himself a glass of water. He started to think about what was going to happen when Justin got to Daphne's apartment. Justin and Daphne, making love. What hurt most was that he himself could not give Justin what he wanted. And so, Justin had to find it elsewhere. Brian gripped the glass so tightly that it shattered, embedding glass in his hand. He was too angry to notice the pain, or the blood dripping down onto the hardwood floor.

* * *

Justin was preoccupied the whole drive to Pittsburgh. Even though Brian had assured him that he wasn't jealous and that he was okay with Justin and Daphne sleeping together –– for the sake of procreation –– Justin still couldn't get Lindsay's warning out of his head. _"Just be careful, okay? Brian would never say anything, but I know him better than he'd like to admit and I know that he cares more than he's letting on." _Could Lindsay be right? Was Brian really okay with it, or was he desperately trying to hide the fact that he couldn't bare the idea of Justin sleeping with some one else, even if it was meaningless?

He would never willingly do anything to hurt Brian, not after all that they'd been through together. Now that he finally had Brian all to himself, he was that much more important to him. He wouldn't let anything destroy what they had together.

Justin debated turning around and going back home, but what would that solve? He wanted a child and since Brian had given him his blessing, he wasn't willing to give it up. _It's best to talk to Daphne, explain the situation to her, maybe she'll agree to make an appointment with her doctor so she can be artificially inseminated._

By the time he pulled up outside of Daphne's apartment building, Justin was on the verge of panic. He sat in the car for fifteen minutes, staring up at Daphne's window. _What should I do? _he asked himself. He heard Brian's voice in his head. _"You go do what you have to do, I'll be here waiting when you get back. I promise." _Taking a deep, steadying breath, Justin got out of the car and crossed the street. Daphne buzzed him in and he slowly ascended the stairs, trying to make it last as long as he could.

Daphne was waiting for him at the door, holding it open. "Hey, Justin!" She hugged him.

"Hey, Daph. How've you been?" he asked, trying the keep his inner turmoil off of his face.

"Great! And you? How are things at the new house?" The conversation was a welcome distraction and he began to feel more relaxed.

"Mansion," Justin corrected, laughing. "They're great. I just finished painting the nursery this afternoon." _Stupid! You just had to bring it up, didn't you!_

"Awesome! What color did you paint it?"

"Green. That way whether the baby is a boy or a girl, it'll work."

"Good thinking."

"Thanks. So, we haven't really talked these past few weeks, how was New York?"

"Amazing! Oh, my God, I almost died when I saw_ Wicked_!"

"That's good. Did you see Shelby when you were there?"

"Yeah, we hung out a little."

"So, how's she doing?"

"All right. She told me tell you that she misses you and you'd better come see her soon. She's got a really nice apartment, better than this dump. We were joking about me moving in with her. At this point, I'd almost rather live with my parents than here."

"Come on, it's not that bad." Justin looked around at the apartment. It was better than the studio that he'd had before leaving for New York, but nowhere near as nice as the loft.

"Just be thankful that you don't live here; half the time I have no hot water and when I do, the water pressure sucks. I can't wait until I can afford something better."

"Too bad you couldn't move in with us, we have more than enough room," Justin joked. Daphne went into the kitchen. "I'm making tea, would you like some?" she asked.

"Sure, thanks," Justin replied. He took another deep breath. _You can't delay the inevitable forever,_ he reminded himself. "Look, Daph..."

"Yeah?" Daphne asked, sitting down on the couch next to him.

"I..." he struggled to come out with it. "There's something I want to talk to you about before we 'do it,' if that's okay." He fiddled with his shirt sleeve.

"Sure. Actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about, too."

"You go first," Justin said, crossing his legs at the ankle.

"Are you sure?" Daphne asked.

"Yes," he insisted.

"Okay. Well, I made an appointment with the doctor...in case one of us gets performance anxiety or something." Daphne laughed and Justin could tell that she was just as nervous as he was.

"That's great!" Justin felt so relieved, like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

"What did you want to tell me?" Daphne chewed her lip.

"I was actually going to ask if you'd consider making an appointment with the doctor. I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable with this. Brian acts like he's fine with it, but now I don't know." Justin shook his head. "I don't want to hurt him, Daph."

Daphne moved closer to Justin and comfortingly put her hand on his. "It's okay, Justin, I understand. You went to hell and back to get him, he's the most important thing in your life."

"Thanks, Daph." Justin smiled, clasping Daphne's hand in his. "You really are my best friend."

"You're mine, too." They embraced. "So, how do you want to do this?"

"Well, I guess we could try to do it here, and if either of us can't do it, we'll go the doctor's," Justin replied, feeling slightly better.

"Okay."

They went into Daphne's bedroom. Her bed was the same on that she'd had in her bedroom back in her parents' house. "You still have this old bed," Justin noted, laughing. Before meeting Brian, Justin had spent plenty of time over at Daphne's house. They would sit up in her room or out at the pool and smoke or get high. A part of him missed those days, but what he had now was so much better. And he and Daphne would always be friends, even if they didn't see each other all the time anymore.

"Yeah. I can't really afford a new one yet, so I had to make do with this old thing." She sat down on the edge of the bed and unbuttoned her shirt, exposing her bra. Daphne nervously averted her eyes, slightly blushing. "Why is this so weird?" she asked. "It isn't like we haven't done this before."

"I don't know," Justin admitted. "Maybe it's because we'd both rather be here with someone else." He imagined Brian sitting on the other side of the bed, naked and motioning for him to sit down and relax.

Justin sat down next to her and pulled his sweater off, goose pimples rising on his flesh from the sudden draft. Slowly, he reached over and unhooked the back of Daphne's bra. She lay back and slipped out of her pants. _I love you, Brian_, Justin thought as he took his pants off and positioned himself on top of Daphne.

* * *

Back at the house, Brian was pacing throughout the spacious manor. He'd told himself that Justin sleeping with Daphne was only a means to an end, but he couldn't fight the jealousy burning in his gut. Just the thought of Justin in bed with another person made his blood boil. _I remember a time when I didn't even know what jealousy felt like, when all I cared about was getting laid. How times have changed. Now I'm sitting here making a goddamn fool of myself over nothing. _

Brian sat down in his office, trying to focus on paying the bills. As soon as he settled in, his mind flickered back to visions of Justin and Daphne having sex. Swiping the papers off of his desk, Brian angrily stormed out into the foyer. _Why the fuck didn't I just tell him! Why couldn't I have been a man and told him I feel? He said he'd understand._ Furious with himself, Brian picked up one of the chairs in the foyer and smashed it against the wall. Breathing heavily, he stalked into Justin's studio.

He picked up one of Justin's old shirts that he used as a rag. Brian held it against his chest, inhaling Justin's scent. That helped calm him a little, though he felt a pang in his heart. He saw the easel with the cover over it. Justin had said that he didn't want anyone to see it until it was completed, he was afraid that it was bad luck. Brian resisted the urge to tear the cover off and look at the underlying painting. Just then, he remembered that he still had a stash of drugs in the bedroom.

Ascending the stairs two at a time, Brian went into the bedroom and began rifling through the dresser drawers. He found the wooden box that he used for the safekeeping of his illegal pick-me-ups. Opening it, he saw that there was a joint in the otherwise empty box. Grabbing his lighter, Brian lit the joint and lay down on the bed. After a few drags, he felt the familiar fuzziness cloud his mind. _Where's Mikey when you need him? Or Deb, she'd do. I don't want to be alone right now, for the first time in my life_. He laughed bitterly.

Brian smoked the joint until there was nothing left. Putting it out in an ashtray, he lay back down. He felt very tired and though he still had work to finish in his office, he didn't have the energy at the moment to go back downstairs.

He got under the blankets and curled up with Justin's pillow, closing his eyes.

He opened them what felt like seconds later. Looking at the clock, he saw that he'd been asleep for an hour. _Sunshine should be on his way home now,_ Brian thought, rubbing his head to clear it. _Which means it's over and done with, whether you like it or not._

Sluggishly, he made his way downstairs and went back into his office, crouching down to pick up the papers that he'd angrily scattered earlier. _Just fucking lovely, now I have to try to remember what order these damn things go in. _Sighing, he sat down at his desk and laid the papers out on the desktop, trying to retain some semblance of order.

He was brought back to reality when he saw headlights through the window and heard the familiar sound of his car coming up the drive. _He's home_, Brian thought, pulling aside the curtain so that he could see Justin.

When the front door opened, Brian stepped into the foyer. "Hey," he chewed his lip.

"Hi," Justin said, tugging at his collar. "What happened in here?" He looked at the bits of broken chair scattered all over the floor.

"I got angry. So...how did everything go?" Brian asked. _What a stupid question._

"Fine. We'll know in a few weeks whether or not she's actually pregnant. Hopefully we won't have to do _that _again." Justin frowned.

"That's...good." There was another pang in his heart.

Justin took a deep breath. "I couldn't go through with it," he blurted, looking Brian in the eyes.

"What do you mean? You just said..." Brian's heart pounded even faster.

"I know what I said. We tried, but it was just too weird for both of us. Luckily, Daphne had made an appointment at the clinic and...well, you can figure out the rest."

"Oh."_ Thank God! _

Brian ran and took Justin into his arms, holding his closely and kissing the top of his head. "I love you," he said over and over.

"I'm sorry I put you through that," Justin whispered, tears in his eyes. "I..."

"Shhh. It's my fault. You asked me to tell you how I felt and I didn't. You were just so happy, I couldn't ruin it for you. I didn't know how jealous I'd get until it actually happened," he admitted. "I thought that I could convince myself that I didn't care, that no matter what happened, you'd still be coming home to me. I guess we've come full circle, huh?"

Justin smiled. "How about from now on instead of hiding your feelings, you share them? That way we can avoid situations like this."

"I think that's a good idea," Brian murmured.

"Me, too." He leaned in and kissed Brian. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too. The whole time you were gone, I couldn't think of anything else." Brian decided to omit his pot-smoking escapade. "I'm turning into such a sap." He chuckled.

"I like it, it gives you...character," Justin replied.

"I've got something I'd like to give you," Brian growled.

"Oh really? Well feel free," Justin replied. "Before I left, you told me that if I had any trouble to think of what you were going to do to me when I got home. I'm home."

"Well I guess, I'd better show you, then."

Brian picked Justin up into his arms and carried him up the stairs.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Michael and Ben have Ted and Blake and Emmett and Calvin over for a couples' dinner. Brian, Justin, and Daphne discuss parental rights on their child.


	37. Negotiations

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Justin and Daphne tried to make a baby the old fashioned way, but neither of them could go through with it. Instead, they went to the clinic and got it taken care of.

Emmett and Ted got married to Calvin and Blake.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Six

"So, how are you enjoying married life so far?" Michael asked, refilling his glass of wine. He and Ben had invited Emmett, Ted, and their spouses over for a couples' dinner. Brian and Justin had not been able to make it, they'd said something about meeting with Daphne. Probably something to do with the baby.

"I'm liking it," Emmett answered, grinning up at Calvin. "I'm actually kind of sorry I waited so long. If I'd known it was this good, I would've gotten married years ago."

Ben laughed. "I certainly wouldn't trade it for anything," he said.

"Me neither," Ted agreed. "I don't think I've ever been this happy in my life."

"What about you guys?" Michael asked Blake and Calvin. They were so quiet that it was easy to forget that they were even there.

"It's wonderful," Blake said. "I get to spend the rest of my life with the person I love most in the whole world." He smiled at Ted and held his hand.

"Yeah," Calvin agreed. "There's nothing better."

"Awww, sweetie." Emmett stroked Calvin's hair lovingly.

Michael and Ben exchanged smiles. "It's nice to finally be able to hang out with other married couples. Eli and Monty are great and all, but they can't compare to you guys," Michael said. Eli and Monty were a married couple that lived in the same neighborhood as Michael and Ben, they had two children. Since Proposition Fourteen had failed to pass legislature, they were talking about adopting a third.

"Just wait until you decide to start a family." Ben laughed. "Then the real fun starts."

Ted choked on his wine. "Are you okay?" Michael asked, patting him on the back.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks," Ted gasped. "It just went down the wrong tube."

"I don't know if parenthood is for me," Emmett mused. "If anything ever happened and my kids were taken from me, it'd be unbearable."

"Well, hopefully the government will find another issue to harp on besides gay marriage and adoption. If they'd leave us alone, we wouldn't have to worry about it," Ben said.

"Like that'll ever happen," Michael muttered, sipping his wine.

"Well, I try to be optimistic. What choice do we have?" Ben shot back.

"I agree with Em," Ted said. "I'm not really a kid person, to be honest."

"I didn't think I was either, but now I've got two," Michael pointed out. "Lots of people who don't like kids love their own. Look at Brian."

"I guess, but at my age it's kind of late to start thinking about having children."

"Not necessarily," Blake piped up. "You're only thirty-nine."

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me," Ted grumbled.

"You know what's worse? Your big 'four-oh' will be here before you know it. I think we should celebrate in the best way possible," Emmett suggested.

"And that would be?"

"Going to Babylon and having a fabulous time."

"We do that anyway," Ted pointed out.

"What's your point?"

"My point is...just forget it, it doesn't matter."

"Do you not want to celebrate?" Michael asked.

"To be honest, I don't care either way. I already have everything I could ever want." He kissed Blake. "My life couldn't get any better."

"Well said, Ted." Ben smiled. "I couldn't agree with you more." Michael caught his eye and smiled.

Hunter came in the front door. He'd been out on a date with Lexi. "Hey, guys," he said in passing.

"Hey," Michael and Ben said in unison.

"Oh, God. Don't tell me that's what we have to look forward to," Ted said.

"What?" Michael asked.

"Speaking in unison." He shivered. "It gives me the creeps."

"Oh, stop." Michael laughed. "I think it's kind of cute."

"You would," Emmett murmured, sipping his wine. Calvin snickered.

"So, how are things with Hunter and his girlfriend?" Ted asked.

"To be honest, he doesn't tell us much. He's at the age where he wants his privacy and Ben and I give it to him," Michael explained.

"You don't think they're...you know...?" Emmett waggled his eyebrows.

"I don't know," Michael admitted, frowning. "I don't think so. If they are, there's not much we can do, we just have to hope that they're using protection."

"Hunter wouldn't do anything stupid like have sex without protection," Ben assured them all. "He's a smart boy, he understands the risks."

"I am so glad that he found someone who's positive, too. It saves him that awkward 'hey, before we have sex I thought you should know that I'm HIV positive' conversation," Emmett said. "Not too many people would stick around after that."

Ben and Michael exchanged looks. They knew that conversation all too well. Luckily, the love that they had for each other had allowed them to stay together despite Ben's illness. _I don't know where I'd be now without him_, Michael thought sadly. _Probably living in the old apartment with Emmett and Calvin...sad and alone._

"Is everything okay?" Ben asked, brushing his fingers along the back of Michael's hand.

"Yeah. Fine," Michael answered. "Why?"

"You just looked a little sad," Ben replied.

"No. I just had a bit of indigestion," Michael lied. "Does anyone want anymore wine?"

Michael and Ben talked their guests into staying for dessert. "I bought some raspberry sorbet," Ben had said, hoping to entice them.

"That sounds great!" Emmett exclaimed. "Though, I should probably cut back on the sweets, one of these days I'm going to ruin my figure."

"I like your figure," Calvin whispered in Emmett's ear. "We'll stay," he said out loud.

"Great." Ben smiled. "What about you two?" he asked Ted and Blake.

"We'll stay, too," Blake answered.

After dessert, Ben and Michael were washing up. "I lied at dinner," Michael mumbled, avoiding Ben's eyes.

"You didn't like the sorbet?" Ben asked., chuckling.

"Not about that. About the indigestion."

"Oh..." Ben shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, aren't you even the slightest bit curious about what the truth was?" Michael asked.

"Of course I am. Come on, tell me."

Michael chewed his lip. "After Emmett made that comment about Hunter and Lexi, I thought of what my life would be like if I'd never met you or if I'd listened to my mother and broke up with you when you told me you were positive."

"And?" Ben prompted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I didn't like it. A life without you isn't a life at all."

"Come here." Ben held his arms open wide.

Michael put his arms around him and rested his head on Ben's impressively expansive chest. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," Ben replied.

"Are you two at it again?" Hunter asked, suddenly in the doorway.

"At what again?" Ben asked, clearing his throat.

"You know, fucking," Hunter replied, shrugging.

"No!" Michael insisted with mock indignation. "But you might be in about ten minutes."

The smile on Hunter's face vanished and his face flushed with embarrassment. "Hunter, is there something you want to tell us?" Ben asked, taking a step forward.

"No," Hunter answered, swallowing.

"I know this conversation is a little awkward, but uh...you and Lexi...?"

"Can we please not have this conversation?" Hunter asked, rolling his eyes. "I haven't been a virgin for a long time and I know all about sex. I was a hustler, remember?"

"We remember."

"So we can just skip it."

"Okay, if you don't want to talk about it, we respect that. Just...be careful okay?"

"Please, Hunter," Michael begged.

"We will," Hunter relented. "Can I go back to bed now?"

"Sure. Good night."

Hunter hurried out of the room. "I thought were weren't going to have that conversation?" Michael said.

"I didn't mean to...it just slipped out." Ben sighed.

"Well now that we have our uncomfortable moment quota for the day, I think I'm going to go get ready for bed."

"I'll be right up," Ben promised.

"I'll be waiting," Michael replied, winking.

* * *

Brian and Justin sat in Daphne's living room, waiting for Daphne to finish in the kitchen. "Listen, I just wanted to thank you again for the trip to New York, it was incredible," Daphne said, excitement in her voice.

"Don't mention it," Brian replied. "If it weren't for you, we'd have to pay some stranger to carry the baby for us. Personally, I don't like that idea. How about you, Sunshine?"

"Not really," Justin answered. "Plus, this way, there's no way the baby's going to be ugly."

"Thanks...I guess." Daphne laughed. You aren't bothered by the fact that the baby isn't going to look like you?"

"Why would I care? As long as it's healthy, that's all I care about."

Brian chewed his lip. "While we're on the topic, I think we should discuss something."

"Okay." Daphne joined them on the couch. "The floor is all yours."

"I just think before we get wrapped up in the baby nonsense, we should work out the parental rights issue."

"Oh. Sure."

"You and Justin will be considered the baby's parents, but if you give up your parental rights, I'll be able to petition for second parent adoption."

"Like Melanie did with Gus," Justin explained.

"I'll still get to see the baby, though, right?" Daphne asked.

"Sure. You can be as active a parent as you want to be, but the baby will live with Justin and I," Brian continued.

"That's fine. I just don't want to carry it for nine months and then never see it again, you know? It'd be too hard for me."

"We understand," Justin assured her. "We can even work out a schedule where you can have the baby every other weekend and during the summer. We don't have to figure it all out now, there's plenty of time."

"The visitation stuff won't even require a lawyer or anything, we can work the schedule out ourselves," Brian added. "We'll be fair."

"That's good. I'm sure that between the three of us we can work something out."

"And I want you to know that whatever you need, it'll be taken care of; medical bills, pre-natal vitamins, maternity clothes..."

"I don't know..." Daphne began.

"We insist," Brian replied. "For one thing, I can afford it. You're about to graduate from college, you haven't even paid off your tuition yet. Or found a reliable job. Let's face it, there's no possible way you can do this on your own."

Daphne shook her head. "I don't want to feel like I'm taking advantage of you guys."

"You aren't," Justin insisted. "You're doing us a huge favor and we're covering the expenses."

"Lindsay never complained this much," Brian mumbled.

"Please?" Justin begged.

Sighing, Daphne grudgingly nodded her assent. "Okay, fine. I'm going to try my best to keep the cost down though, I don't want you to have to pay a fortune."

"Deal." Brian offered her his hand. Daphne accepted the proffered hand and shook it.

"By the way, I made an appointment with the doctor next Thursday. They said it could take up to twelve days for the egg to get fertilized. Hopefully the news is good "

"Here's hoping," Justin said.

Brian checked the time. "We'd better get going," he said. "I still have to finish the Dwyer account, and you," he looked at Justin, "have so some school work to do."

"Don't remind me," Justin grumbled. "I'm going to be up all night writing that paper."

"Which paper?"

"I have to write a five page paper describing why I should be allowed to be a student at PIFA. Isn't that stupid?"

"Mmmmm." Brian nodded. "Maybe I'll keep you company," he suggested, grinning devilishly.

"I'd like that. Maybe we can..."

Daphne cleared her throat. "Well it was nice seeing you guys. I'll be in touch," she promised, walking them to the door.

"Bye, Daph." Justin gave her a hug. "Call me."

"I will," she promised.

"Daphne." Brian leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

"Bye, Brian." Daphne couldn't help but laugh. Brian was so charming! _If he wasn't gay_...

Once in the car, Brian asked, "Were you as grossed out about that as I was?"

"What?" Justin asked.

"The egg talk." Brian scrunched his face up in disgust.

"Since when are you squeamish?"

"I'm not, I just don't particularly care to hear about eggs."

"Didn't Lindsay talk to you about that kind of thing when she was trying to get pregnant with Gus?"

"No. We had an understanding: I did my part and she did hers. I gave her some money to help out and that was that."

"Wow," Justin commented.

"What?"

"Nothing. I guess I forgot how much you've changed."

"I do, too sometimes," Brian admitted.

Justin stared out the window for a second. "Do you ever miss it?" he asked.

"Miss what, Pittsburgh? Not really."

"No. Your life...before."

"Not at all," Brian replied without hesitating. "I was never happy until you came along, and now that I have you...I couldn't live without you." Justin smiled. "Why, do you miss your life before?"

"No. The night we met was the day that my life started. I wouldn't go back for anything."

Brian laughed. "Listen to us, we're starting to sound like something out of a goddamn romance novel."

"Is that so bad?" Justin asked.

"I'll get back to you on that." Justin reached over and lightly punched Brian's arm. "No, it isn't," Brian relented, rolling his eyes.

"You'd better say that if you ever want to see this again," Justin pointed at his body.

"I do," Brian said.

As Brian parked the car, Justin felt trepidation set in. He really did not want to work on his paper. _I'm sure I can persuade Brian to put off his work for an hour or so_, Justin thought, following Brian into the house. He reached down into the front of Brian's pants. "How about we have some fun?" he asked, grinning.

"Hmmm." Brian laughed. "Homework first, sex later." He grabbed Justin's hands and put them back at his side.

"Oh, come on," Justin begged.

"I'll tell you what, you go write your paper and when you're done I'll fuck you, okay?"

"You drive a hard bargain," Justin replied, deflated.

"You'll find out when your paper's done."

"Fine. I'm going." Justin trudged off to Brian's office. "Can I use your laptop?"

"As long as you're working, not looking at porn."

"Like you'd know," Justin challenged.

"Oh I'll know. I'm going to come in and check on you."

"Are you serious?"

"I'm dead serious. You've been putting this paper off since last week, and I will do whatever it takes to get you to finish it."

"What about your homework?" Justin asked.

"I'm almost done with it. Now, go get started. I'm not waiting up all night."

Justin started on his paper and was surprised by how easily and quickly he finished it. The only reason that he had put it off as long as he had was because he'd had no idea what to write, but now the words flowed out of him. _Let's just hope they're the right words, the last thing I need is to get a failing grade on this_.

True to his word, Brian came in and checked on him after an hour. "How's the work coming?" he asked.

"Actually, I'm done," Justin answered with a dazzling smile. "See?" He held the paper out for Brian to see. "Five pages.

"Good job, Sunshine."

"This means you have to keep your word," Justin reminded him.

"When have I ever not kept my word?"

Justin plucked the paper out of Brian's hand and put in his messenger bag. "Let's do it in here," he suggested. "On the desk."

"If that's how you want it," Brian replied.

"It is." Justin sat down on the desk, moving the laptop to a nearby shelf. Brian sat down next to him and started taking his shirt off. Lying down, Justin smiled.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Over breakfast at the Liberty Diner, Michael confesses that he misses Brian. Brian and Justin invite their friends over to see Britin Manor. Jennifer has a favor to ask and Daphne has something to share.


	38. Results

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Daphne was artificially inseminated by Justin and agreed to sign over her parental rights to Brian.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The following Wednesday, Justin was at work. Michael, Ted, and Emmett had come in for a late lunch, but Brian had been too busy to make it, much to Justin's chagrin. "It's too bad you and Brian couldn't make it dinner last week, we had a blast," Michael said to Justin when he brought them their drinks.

"Sorry, we had to meet with Daphne," Justin replied.

"About the baby?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah."

"How did it go?" Ted queried.

"The meeting or the baby making process?" Justin replied sarcastically.

"The meeting. I don't think the baby making process is our business."

Justin smiled. "It went okay. Daphne agreed to waive her parental rights so Brian can adopt the baby."

"That's great. Congratulations, baby!" Emmett exclaimed, clapping Justin on the arm.

"Thanks. I'm so excited! Did you feel this way when you found out Mel was pregnant with JR?" he asked Michael.

"Yes. I couldn't wait for her to come. I don't know how I managed to stay sane."

"You had Ben," Ted reminded him.

"Oh yeah." Michael smiled.

"And you have Brian," Ted said to Justin.

"You have Blake and I have Calvin, what's your point?" Emmett challenged.

"He'll have a distraction so he doesn't drive himself crazy for the next nine months," Ted explained.

Debbie stopped at the table. "Is she pregnant yet?" she asked, practically bursting with excitement.

"We don't know. She has an appointment tomorrow, maybe we'll know then," Justin answered.

"Oh." Deb deflated. "Well, good luck, Sunshine. You're going to be a great dad."

"Thanks, Deb."

"You're going to let us know when you guys know if Daphne's pregnant or not, right?" Michael asked.

"Of course will. Why wouldn't we?" Justin asked, perplexed.

Michael shrugged. "It just feels like we never see you and Brian anymore now that you moved to the new house..." Justin frowned. He felt bad that his friends felt neglected, but maybe there was something he could do to make it up to them. They'd wanted to come see the new house, but he'd been putting it off until he had finished painting the rooms, but now that he was done, there was no reason that they couldn't stop by for a little visit. Of course, he'd have to ask Brian if it was okay.

"Speak for yourself, I see him every day," Ted corrected.

"Fine, _I_ never see you and Brian anymore. There, happy?"

"Immensely." Ted grinned.

"Hey, what are you all doing tomorrow night?" Justin asked.

"I don't know, why?" Michael replied.

"Well, I finished painting and if you're all free...maybe you could come over for that housewarming party you mentioned awhile back."

"Yes!" Emmett practically screamed.

"I'd love to!" Deb exclaimed. "I gotta see this fucking palace you're always talking about."

"I have to check with Brian first but if he's fine with it, we'd love for you all to come and see the new place. It's...paradise."

"I'll bet," Ted muttered. "Brian doesn't doing anything half-assed."

"I'll say," Justin replied with a devilish smirk.

"Too much information." Emmett laughed.

"And feel free to bring your husbands," Justin reminded them. "And Hunter if he wants to come."

"I don't know about that. He's been spending more and more time with Lexi lately. I'm starting to think they're attached at the hip."

"He's a teenager," Debbie reminded him. "That's what teenagers are like. What about you and Brian?"

Michael laughed. "Brian and I weren't having sex and we weren't HIV positive."

"They're having sex?" Justin asked.

"Well, we don't know for sure," Michael admitted, "but when Ben brought it up, Hunter avoided answering the question at all costs."

"I don't blame him. That is an awkward conversation to have with your dad. Thank God mine never talked to me about sex," Justin said.

"I never had a dad to talk to me about sex, so I guess I don't know how it feels."

"Oh, please. Don't you remember the time I asked you if you and Brian were fucking?" Deb asked.

Michael had tried with all of his might to block the memory, and it had been pretty successful up until that point. Now, it came rushing back. "Yes," he grumbled. "I was so embarrassed I couldn't look you in the face for a week." He blushed at the memory.

"Now you know how Hunter must've felt," Debbie continued.

"It wasn't my idea, it was Ben's! We'd agreed not to say anything, but you know how it is, you're a parent."

"Okay, I'll give you that," Deb relented, "but as long as they're being safe, everything will be fine."

"_If_ they're being safe," Michael muttered.

"Hunter knows all about safe sex, he was a hustler," Emmett reminded them all.

"And with parents like you and Ben, there's no way he'd do something irresponsible like having unprotected sex," Justin added.

"Quit worrying so much," Ted finished. They all looked at him. "What?"

"Nothing, Teddy," Emmett answered, patting his hand comfortingly. "Just forget it."

* * *

That evening as Brian drove them home, Justin said, "Michael misses you."

"Really?" Brian took his eyes off the road for a second to peer at Justin. "And where did you get this top secret information?"

"He said that ever since we moved it feels like he never sees us."

"Is that so?" He shrugged. "I guess we haven't really seen each other as much as we're accustomed to in the past few weeks."

"That's why I invited everybody over tomorrow night," Justin said, wincing. He expected Brian to freak out or at the very least chastise him. "If you want," he added.

Brian chuckled to himself. "Sure, why not?" He'd been meaning to invite their friends over anyway, what better time than the present? And though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he missed his best friend. They'd practically been a couple since middle school, except the few times they hadn't been on speaking terms.

"Seriously?" Justin asked incredulously.

"Why do you sound so surprised? They are our friends, remember?"

"No, it's just that last time we all got together and had a party, we stayed up all night and got drunk. You said you didn't want to have anymore parties..."

"Well in case you forgot, tomorrow is Thursday."

"So?"

"So, there's still one more day until the weekend. No one's going to be staying until four in the morning getting drunk."

"Good point."

"And besides, we only have two beds; there's no room for all of them to stay over."

"That's a shame, we sure have enough rooms."

"If there's ever a reason to evacuate Pittsburgh, we'll have plenty of room for our friends to come stay with us," Brian agreed.

Justin pulled out his cell phone. "I'm gonna call Michael," he explained when Brian turned to him with his eyebrows arched.

"Tell Mikey I said hi," Brian relayed.

When Michael picked up, he said, "So, what did he say?" _Wow, he must've been waiting for my call_, Justin thought.

"How's tomorrow at seven?" Justin replied.

"Great!"

"Brian says hi by the way." Brian reached over and unzipped Justin's pants, slipping his hand down through the opening. Justin gasped.

"What?" Michael asked.

"Nothing," Justin lied, closing his eyes in ecstasy. "Can you do me a favor and spread the news to Emmett and Ted?"

"Sure. Do you want us to bring anything?"

"No, just come, that's all." _Bad choice of words!_

"Are you sure you're okay?" Michael asked.

"I'm fine. I just got off the StairMaster," Justin lied. Brian laughed and moved his hand faster.

"Okay, well, I'll let you go. See you tomorrow." Justin could almost feel Michael's excitement.

"Bye."

After he hung up, he looked over at Brian. "You are bad," he moaned. The pleasure was intense and he clenched the seat with one hand and Brian's arm with the other.

"I am," Brian agreed. "Ow."

When Justin orgasmed, he groaned and fell back against the seat, a smile on his lips. Brian tossed him a cloth. "What's this?" he asked, holding up the rag.

"It's my cum rag," Brian explained.

"Only you," Justin muttered.

"Only me what?"

"Only you would have a rag in your car for the purpose of cleaning up cum." He rolled his eyes, though the smile was still plastered on his face.

"Well, I don't really have any use for it anymore," Brian admitted.

"Oh, really?" Justin asked, unbuckling his seat belt.

"What are you doing?" Brian asked.

"You'll see," Justin whispered, leaning over so that his head was in Brian's lap. He unzipped Brian's pants.

Brian laughed and let the pleasure wash over him. Maybe the cum rag would finally get some use after a long time of neglect.

* * *

The next night at seven the guests arrived. "Holy shit," Debbie gasped, staring at the manor, mouth agape. "I knew it was big, but they didn't tell me it was fucking _enormous_!"

"He certainly did well for himself," Ted commented, whistling appreciatively.

"No kidding," Michael muttered, ringing the doorbell. "This place must cost a fortune!"

"There's no arguing that," Ben replied.

The door opened to reveal Brian. "Mikey," he said with a smile. "Glad you could make it."

"I missed you," Michael whispered in Brian's ear when he hugged him.

"I missed you, too," Brian replied, giving Michael a quick peck on the lips. "All of you. Come on in." He held the door open wider and greeted each person in turn. "Sunshine, the guests are here," he called out.

"I'll be right there!" Justin replied, his voice echoing.

"So, what do you think?" Brian asked.

"It's incredible," Emmett answered, looking around the foyer. "Too bad we're both already taken, I'd love to live here."

"Yes, it's a shame," Brian replied wryly. "That's the only thing keeping us apart."

"I want a house like this some day," Ted whispered.

"Keep dreaming, Theodore, because it's never going to happen." Brian turned to Ted and sneered.

"Thanks for reminding me, Bri."

Justin came out from the kitchen, grinning. "Hey, guys." He gave Debbie a hug. "Welcome to our home."

"We'll give you the tour," Brian promised. The doorbell rang. "That must be Daphne." He opened the door.

"Hey, Brian," Daphne said as she walked in. "Wow, nice place!"

"I do my best."

"Did you see my mother out there, Daph?" Justin asked.

"No, sorry."

"She's probably with Tucker," Justin muttered with disgust.

"She'll be here," Brian assured him.

Justin took their coats while Brian led them on the tour through the house. "We have a tennis court, pool, and stables out back," Justin said excitedly. "Isn't this place to die for?"

"It certainly is," Carl agreed. "Are you looking for a roommate?"

"Sure, why don't you all move in? We could be a nice big, happy family," Brian said snidely.

"We love you, too, Brian," Deb replied, blowing Brian a kiss.

After seeing every room in the house, they assembled in the dining room for dinner.

Just as he was about to sit down, Justin heard the doorbell ring. "That must be my mom. I'll be right back." He walked into the foyer and opened the door to see his mother and Molly. "You're late," he said emotionlessly.

"I know, honey, I'm sorry. Molly had a little trouble picking out something to wear," Jennifer said, pleading with her eyes.

"Dinner's ready, we just sat down," he replied with a sigh. "Hey, Molly," he said to his sister.

"Hi," Molly replied with a faint smile. "Cool house."

"At first I thought I'd taken a wrong turn or something," Jennifer admitted. "But then, I thought, this is Brian we're talking about. You've certainly done well for yourselves. I thought the loft was nice but this," she motioned around the foyer, "is very nice."

"Thanks."

Brian appeared in the doorway. "Jennifer, how nice of you to make it. We're having dinner, come join us."

"I'll be right there," Jennifer promised. Molly accepted Brian's invitation and went to eat. "I'd like to speak to Justin for a second." Brian nodded and followed Molly into the dining room.

"What's up?" Justin asked.

"You're not going to like this, but Tucker asked me to go away with him for a weekend." Jennifer looked everywhere but Justin's face.

"Don't tell me, you're going to Las Vegas to get married?" Justin asked, crossing his arms.

"No, we're going camping."

"At your age?"

"Justin, we've been over this. I accepted Brian, it's about time you accepted Tucker."

"I_ have _accepted Tucker," Justin replied coldly. Jennifer chewed her lip. Justin sighed, feeling a little guilty. "So, what, you want me to take Molly?"

Jennifer closed her eyes for a second. "I would appreciate it," she answered.

"Fine. She can stay in Gus's room." Justin smiled. His mother had done so much for him, he couldn't turn her away.

"Thanks." Jennifer gave him a quick hug.

"Come on, my food's getting cold." Wrapping his arm around his mother, Justin led the way into the dining room.

"Jennifer! Good to see you," Debbie said, waving from across the table.

"You, too, Debbie. I heard you got married. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Deb replied, kissing Carl's cheek. "Maybe you'll be next." She laughed.

Jennifer cleared her throat uncomfortably and looked at Justin. "I don't think so. After what happened with Craig, marriage doesn't sound like such a good idea." _Thank you, God!_ Justin thought, hiding a smile behind his hands. _If she married that idiot, I'd have to kill myself._

After dinner, Justin gave his mother and Molly the tour of the house since they'd missed it earlier. When he led them into the nursery, Jennifer sniffled. "What's wrong?" Justin asked.

"I was just thinking of when you were a baby," Jennifer admitted, wiping a tear off of her cheek. "Now, you're going to be a father." Molly rolled her eyes and went to investigate the room that she would soon be occupying.

"Daphne went to the doctor today to see whether or not she's pregnant," Justin said casually.

"What did the doctor say?" Jennifer asked, smiling with anticipation.

"I haven't had a chance to talk to her yet. Hopefully, Brian and I can get her alone before she leaves. I'm dying here!" He laughed. "I can't stop thinking about the baby."

Jennifer hugged him. "I can't wait to be a grandma. You and Brian are going to be great parents."

"Everyone keeps telling me that, we'll see how the kid turns out in eighteen years."

"I felt the same way when I found out I was pregnant with you." She laughed.

"Well, based on how I turned out would you say you did a good job?" Justin asked.

"Yeah. I would." Jennifer smiled. "I couldn't ask for a better son."

"Okay, stop before we get all emotional," Justin joked.

"Good idea," Jennifer conceded.

They rejoined the rest of the group in the den, where Brian was starting a fire in the fireplace. Justin saw that Daphne was watching out for him. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked when Justin sat down next to her.

"Sure." He looked at Brian and nodded toward the foyer. Brian nodded back and followed them out.

Daphne chewed her lip nervously. "I was waiting for the right time to tell you guys this..." she began.

"Tell us what?" Brian asked, his stomach tightening. Obviously the news was bad, or she wouldn't be so uncomfortable.

"Come on, Daph. Spill," Justin commanded.

"The doctor checked everything out...and I'm pregnant," she replied, smiling.

Both Brian and Justin exhaled their held breaths. Smiling, they kissed. "Thank you, Daphne," Justin said, hugging her tightly. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," she replied.

"Brian, what do you say we go in there and tell them?" Justin suggested, on the verge of tears.

Brian shrugged. "I don't see why not," he answered, taking Justin's hand in his. When they got into the den, everyone turned to look at them. "We have an announcement to make," Brian said, barely containing his smile.

"As you know, Daphne had an appointment with the doctor today," Justin said. Their guests nodded. "And the test came back positive. We're having a baby!"

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Emmett and Calvin move out of Debbie's house and into an apartment of their own. While struggling to put up with his little sister, Justin learns an important parenting lesson.


	39. Maturing

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Daphne successfully got pregnant with Brian and Justin's baby. Justin agreed to watch Molly for a week while Jennifer and Tucker went away together.

Emmett and Calvin started to look for a place of their own.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Eight

"Okay, I think that's the last of it." Emmett set the heavy box that he'd been carrying down on the living room floor. "Whoo, my arms haven't gotten that good of a workout in awhile," he commented. A few weeks back, he and Calvin had gone to look at an apartment. Because they'd had no luck so far, neither of them was particularly optimistic, until they'd actually seen the apartment. It had two bedrooms, a decent view, and was within their price range. They'd hurriedly snatched it up before someone bought it out from under them.

After the papers had been signed, they'd begun to move their stuff in. All that was left now were the odds and ends that Emmett had stored in the attic with Deb's Christmas decorations and some clothing. Those damn reindeer bring back too many memories of after Vic died and Debbie insisted on having Christmas again. She was so devastated when the angel fell off of the tree and shattered.

Debbie watched from the living room, trying will all of her might not to cry. She'd grown even more attached to Emmett since he'd moved in the year before and now that he was leaving, she was heartbroken. _Come on Debbie, you knew this was going to happen eventually. He wasn't going to live here forever, as much as you wanted him to._

Calvin picked the box up. "I'll take it out to the car for you," he said, smiling at Emmett.

"Thanks, honey," Emmett replied, licking his lips as he watched Calvin's retreating form. "I certainly did well with that one." Deb laughed despite her sadness. Emmett had a way of making her do that. I'm going to miss him around here, she thought, sniffling.

"Are you sure you have everything?" she asked.

"Yeah, I went through all my stuff just to be safe. If I did forget something, I can always come back and get it," he reminded her. "I'll just be across town."

"Of course."

Emmett wrapped his arms around Debbie. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

"Are you kidding? Carl and I will finally have the house to ourselves," Debbie replied, smiling. "I couldn't be happier."

"We both know that isn't true." Emmett bit his lip to keep himself from crying.

"Yeah," Debbie agreed. "It was hard enough when Michael moved out on his own, and then when Vic moved out…" she shook her head, "I was devastated. Now this... I guess I've grown more accustomed to you being here than I should have."

"Oh, Deb." Emmett couldn't fight the tears anymore. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'm gonna miss you, too, sweetie." Deb started to cry as well.

"You know that I'm a just a phone call away, right? If you ever need anything, I'll be right over," Emmett promised.

"I know. It isn't going to be the same around here without you, though."

Emmett nodded. "After a week or so you'll hardly notice I'm gone. You and Carl will have more time to do married couple stuff."

"Like screw?" Deb joked. "We do that anyway."

"I was thinking more along the lines of sitting in front of the fireplace together sipping champagne, but yes, screwing is included." Emmett chuckled.

"Em, honey?"

"What?"

"We don't have a fireplace," Debbie reminded him kindly.

"Well, now you can get one. You can take the extra money you'll save on utilities and put it towards a fireplace."

Debbie shrugged her shoulders. "I'll think about it," she promised. "Or maybe I'll just order everything from QVC now that you won't be here to stop me. I still want that llama."

"Oh, no. I'm going to check in daily and make sure you aren't buying anything from QVC. You hear me? Nothing," Emmett said with mock severity.

Calvin came back into the house. "It's time to go," he said. "Bye, Deb."

"Bye, Calvin," Debbie replied. "Take care, sweetheart."

"You, too. I'll be out in the car." Calvin went back outside to give Emmett and Deb their privacy.

Emmett started to cry harder now. "I'm going to miss you," he gasped, his voice breaking. Deb was like a mother to him, especially now that his own was dead. He was just as attached to her as she was to him.

"You always have a place to come back to, okay?" Deb said, stroking his head.

"Yeah." He wiped his eyes. "God, you'd think I was moving out of the country instead of to the other side of town."

"It may as well be another country to me."

The door opened once more and Carl rushed in. "I'm glad I didn't miss you," he panted.

"Carl, honey, sit down!" Debbie ordered, pulling him over to the couch. "You're recovering from a stroke, remember?" She'll be fine without me, Emmett thought, smiling. She's got Carl to boss around and occupy her time, I just feel bad for the poor man.

"I'm fine." Carl shooed her away. "I'm just not in as good a shape as I was twenty years ago."

"I was just on my way out," Emmett said, giving Deb another quick hug. He turned to Carl. "Well, Carl, it's been fun sharing a house with you. Now you and the wife can finally have some alone time." He smiled and held his hand out.

"No," Carl pushed Emmett's hand away and stood up. He enveloped Emmett in a bear hug. "Take care of yourself, Emmett."

"I will. I'd say the same to you, but we both know that Deb will do that for you." They both laughed.

"Damn right!" Deb put her arm around Carl.

"I'll see you around." Emmett blinked to clear his tear blurred vision.

"Bye." Debbie buried her face in Carl's chest, her body wracked with sobs.

Taking a deep breath, Emmett took one final look around Deb's living room. I've had some good times here, but it's time to go make some more somewhere else. Waving at both Debbie and Carl, he stepped outside. As soon as the door closed behind him, he fell apart again and bawled loudly. On weak legs, he made his way to the car, barely registering his hand on the door. Calvin started the car and took Emmett's hand in his, rubbing it comfortingly.

For the first ten minutes Emmett stared out the car window, unblinking.

"You'll still see Debbie all the time," Calvin said. "You and Ted are always going to the diner to eat."

"I know, it's just, I got used to living with her. She was always there for me in a way that nobody else could be."

"You've got me now," Calvin reminded him. "Isn't that enough?"

"Yes," Emmett realized, suddenly feeling better. "It is enough. I'm sorry I'm being such a baby."

"No need to apologize, Emmett, I know how much Deb means to you."

"Do you know how much you mean to me?" Emmett asked, grinning playfully.

"Um...I don't know. Why don't you tell me?" Calvin replied, playing along.

"How about you hurry up and get us to the new apartment so I can show you?" Emmett leaned over and rested his head on Calvin's shoulder.

Calvin laughed and accelerated. That could be arranged.

* * *

For once in his life, Justin was glad to be at work. Molly had been staying at Britin Manor for the past few days and he had reached his cracking point. He couldn't bite his tongue any longer. "My sister is driving me crazy!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, Sunshine, come on. I'm sure she's not that bad." Debbie handed him a towel to wipe down the tables.

"That's easy for you to say, she's not staying at your house," Justin grumbled.

"What exactly is she doing that is bothering you so much?" Deb asked.

Justin inhaled sharply. "Let's see: she complains all day long about how she would rather be home than at my house; she won't pick up after herself; Brian and I have had no time alone these past few days..." He sighed in frustration.

"That's what younger siblings are for. I remember when I was about eight or nine, Vic used to get on my nerves so bad." She laughed at the memory. "Of course, I just beat the shit out of him, that got him off my back."

"No offense, Deb, but I don't think Vic could've compared to my sister."

"Well you'd better get used to it, Sunshine. You and Brian have a baby on the way and trust me as a mother, it gets worse."

"My child won't be like that," Justin assured her. "I'll make sure of it."

Debbie laughed. "Oh, really? I'm going to remember this conversation and bring it up in a few years when your kid is about four or five."

"She's just so annoying!" Justin threw the towel down on the table and began to angrily wipe the ketchup stains off.

"All kids are," Deb reminded him. "God knows there were plenty of times where Michael got on my nerves so badly that I wanted to hang myself from the shower rod, but you know what? I survived and so will you. Besides, it's only for a few more days until your mother gets back from her vacation."

"It can't come fast enough."

"She's just a kid."

"That's just the thing, Deb, she's not a kid anymore. She's fourteen, in a few years she'll be an adult. It's about time she grew up and accepted some responsibility. I wasn't allowed to behave like she did when I was her age."

"And exactly when did you become so heartless?" Deb asked, arms folded angrily across her chest. "You've been spending too much time with Brian."

"What do you mean?" Justin stopped cleaning the table and looked at her. I'm not heartless, am I? No, Molly's just the most annoying cretin to be born since the dawn of time. You have every right to want to wring her neck.

Deb sat down at the table and motioned for him to do so as well. "You were eighteen when your parents split," she pointed out.

"Yeah, so?" Where is she going with this?

"And how old was Molly?"

"Seven or eight. I don't remember." He shrugged.

"Exactly."

"What's your point, Deb?"

"My point, Sunshine, is that when your parents got divorced you were already grown up, Molly was still a little girl. How do you think that made her feel?" Justin hadn't thought about it that way. He guiltily averted his gaze. "Even though she was young, I'm sure she still understood what was happening, remembers the fights and all the drama that happened that year. Kids can't rationalize like we can, honey. For all you know, she could blame herself for what happened. I'm sure your dad hasn't been the model father these last few years. Just give the girl a break, Sunshine. Remember that you were given plenty of breaks when you were younger."

Justin nodded his head. "You're right, Deb." How could I be such a dick to my sister?

"I'm always right," Deb reminded him, smiling. "Talk to her, you'll both feel better. Maybe you'll learn something about parenting."

"I will," Justin promised.

"Don't you have to go pick her up from school? It's three o'clock."

"She's getting a ride here from a friend's mom. Maybe you could put her to work or something," he suggested.

"Sunshine," Debbie said threateningly.

"I know, you're right. Sorry. I couldn't help it."

When Molly came in the door, Justin met her gaze. "Sit here and do your homework," he said, pointing to the counter. Rolling her eyes, Molly sat down and pulled some paper and a textbook out of her backpack.

"I'm hungry," she said.

"Get yourself something to eat, then," Justin replied, careful to keep his tone light.

"What can I get you, sweetie?" Deb asked.

Molly quickly scanned the menu. "Can I get some ice cream?" she asked Justin. He turned and looked at Deb, so raised her eyebrows at him. "You can have ice cream as long as you do your homework."

"Deal!" Molly opened the textbook and began to write on a piece of paper.

"See, was that so hard?" Debbie asked quietly.

After Justin finished his shift, Brian picked them up. "How was your day?" he asked, kissing Justin.

"Great. How was yours?" Justin looked at Molly in the rearview mirror, she was watching them.

"Okay. What about you, Molly, how was school?" Did Brian seriously just ask her that? His parental instinct must've finally set in.

"Fine," she answered. "I had some homework, but I'm done."

As soon as they got home, Molly rushed up to her room. "I'm going to go talk to her," Justin said, following her up the stairs. When he got to the door, he lightly knocked. "Molly?" he called.

"What?" Molly asked. Her voice sounded strained, like she was upset.

"Can I come in?" Justin asked.

"It's your house," she reminded him.

Justin opened the door. Molly was lying on the bed, head buried under the blankets. He went and sat on the edge of the bed. "What do you want?" Molly's voice was muffled by the blanket.

"I want to talk to you."

"What for? You hate me." Justin felt the sting of hurt. It must seem like I do, he thought sadly.

"I don't hate you, Molly," he said, sighing. "I know that you haven't had much fun since you've been here..."

"It's your fault. You've been a jerk to me all week," Molly said, lifting the blanket. Justin could see that she had been crying.

"Look, Molly, I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to treat you like I did. I don't know why..."

"Just forget it."

"I don't want to forget it. You're my sister, I don't want there to be any hard feelings between us. You know I love you." Wow, I really just said that, didn't I?

"You do?" Molly asked, sitting up.

"Yeah," Justin admitted, laughing. "I know I don't always show it, but it's true."

Molly smiled faintly. "Thanks, Justin," she said, wiping her tears away.

"Can I ask you something?" Justin scratched his head in thought.

"I guess," Molly replied hesitantly.

"What do you remember about Mom and Dad getting divorced?"

"I remember how angry they were when you left, that's when they started to fight. Mom couldn't understand how Dad could be so heartless, but he was adamant about his convictions."

"Where did you learn such big words?" Justin asked, surprised.

"I read," Molly explained, shrugging.

"You don't...?" Justin felt weird asking it.

"What?"

"You don't blame yourself for their separating, do you?" he asked.

Molly didn't answer right away. "No," she finally said. "Why?"

"No reason. I just didn't want you to think that you had anything to do with it, that's all. Do you still talk to Dad?"

"Sometimes. He calls me every now and then."

"Does he still ask about me?" Justin asked, a lump forming in his throat.

"Well..." Molly uncomfortably ran a hand through her hair. "No," she admitted.

"I see." Justin laughed bitterly. Apparently, after their last run in, Craig had given up. "Oh, well. Fuck him."

"If you don't care, why did you ask?"

"I just had to know. Sometimes I forget how much of an asshole he is."

"Lucky you, I wish I could forget."

Justin hugged his sister. "I know it's hard, Molly, but you just have to be strong. Maybe one day he'll realize the error of his ways and try to be our father again." He didn't actually believe that, but it was better than telling her the truth: that their father was a creep and that the best way for her to deal with it was to cut him out of her life because he'd never change. Hmmm, maybe I won't be such a bad parent after all, Justin thought, smiling.

Taking Molly's hand, he led her out of the bedroom. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Well, Mollusk, I don't know about you, but I'm starving and I'm sure Brian is, too."

"You haven't called me Mollusk in a long time," Molly noted, smiling.

"Is that bad?"

"No, I miss it," Molly admitted, putting her arm around Justin. Together, they went into the kitchen to make dinner.

* * *

The next week, Jennifer came to pick up Molly. "How was she?" Jennifer asked.

"She was great," Justin replied. "Not a problem at all. In fact, I'm actually going to kind of miss her."

"I'm sorry, I think my hearing is going bad. Did I just hear you say that you had a good time with your sister?" Jennifer asked incredulously.

"No, you heard me correctly, Mom. Why?"

"Well, you two always fought when you were younger, I just assumed things wouldn't have changed."

"They have. Molly and I are close."

"I guess miracles can happen," Jennifer muttered. "Well, I'd better let you go. Tucker's waiting out in the car." Justin looked past his mother to the car, where her boyfriend Tucker sat in the passenger seat, watching them. Forcing himself to smile, Justin waved.

For a stunned second, Tucker stared back at Justin. You're not going blind, I waved, Justin thought, repeating the gesture. Tucker waved back, smiling. "What's gotten into you?" Jennifer asked, laughing in disbelief.

"I don't know." Justin shrugged. "I guess I've finally finished maturing."

"Thank you," Jennifer said, giving him a hug. "For everything."

"It was my pleasure." Justin watched the car pull away and smiled.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Justin begins his internship at Kinnetik. Lindsay calls with a suspicious question. Debbie demands to meet Lexi. Michael finds a way to bide the time until Jenny Rebecca comes back.


	40. Fuck Professional

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Lindsay told Brian and Justin that they could have Gus for the summer.

Justin was told that he had to redo his internship. Luckily, he got in at Kinnetik, but he had to promise not to sleep with Brian.

After the heartache he faced after seeing JR the last time, Michael contemplated moving to Toronto to be closer to her. In the end, he decided to stay in Pittsburgh for Ben and Hunter.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Nine

By the time classes were done for the summer, Justin was ready for a break. Between working at the diner, auditing, keeping up the house, painting, checking in with Daphne, and spending time with Brian, he was exhausted. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to be able to enjoy a summer of inactivity; his internship with Kinnetik had begun and Gus would be coming to stay for the summer the following week.

He and Brian were on their way to work. "I like this," he admitted, looking over at Brian.

"What?" Brian asked, briefly taking his eyes off the road.

"Spending all day with you. It's nice." He couldn't hold back a smile.

"I don't particularly mind it either," Brian replied, putting his hand on top of Justin's. "It definitely keeps the ride to work interesting."

"I can't wait for Gus to get here, we're going to have so much fun!" Ever since Molly had stayed with them a month earlier, he'd been anxiously counting the days till Gus came. "He's going to love the house."

"Yes, he is. I bought him a pony so he can learn to ride while he's here. Then we can all go out together."

"You bought three horses?" Justin asked.

"No, I bought two: a pony for Gus and one for you and me to share."

"Mmm. You and me on horseback together? That'll be a laugh."

"Really? I think it'll be...enchanting." Brian chuckled.

On their way into the office, Justin's cell phone rang. Brian stopped walking and nodded for him to answer it. "It's Lindsay," Justin said, brows knit. "Hello?" Brian turned around and listened intently.

"Hey, Justin." _Hopefully plans haven't changed. Brian and I would be so disappointed_.

"Hey, Linz. What's up?"

"Not much. How are things on your end?"

"Fine. I'm interning at Brian's firm for the summer."

"How's that going?"

"So far, so good."

"That's good. Listen, I'm calling because I was wondering if you had room for one more?" Justin's heart stopped beating. _Oh, no. Please tell me Mel and Linz aren't fighting again_. He shot Brian a worried look.

"Justin?" Lindsay asked.

"Sorry. Yeah, we have plenty of room." _Poor Gus_.

"Great."

"Listen, Linz, I know this isn't my business, but are things really okay? With you and Mel I mean."

"They're fine." Lindsay laughed. "We're not fighting or anything if that's what you're thinking."

"Thank God." Justin heaved a huge sigh of relief. The last time that Melanie and Lindsay had separated, they'd all thought it was for good, but fortunately their love was too strong to let that happen.

"What's going on?" Brian whispered, picking up on Justin's distress. Justin held up a finger. Brian nodded toward his office and walked off.

"It's just that I'm done with school until the following week and I thought I'd come and see everyone for a week. Mel'll come down for the weekend."

"Yeah, that's fine. We'll make up one of the guest rooms, we just bought a bed to put in there."

"Thank you so much! Okay, I have to let you go, the sitter's here. I'll see you next week.

Bye."

"Bye."

Hanging up, Justin went into Brian's office; he was sitting at his desk looking through a file. "Well?" he asked. "She didn't change her mind did she?"

"No. Actually, Lindsay wanted to know if she could come stay for a week," Justin explained.

"They're not at it again, are they?" Brian asked, rolling his eyes.

"No. It's just that Lindsay has the week off and wants to come see us. Mel still has to work, but she'll come for the weekend."

"Great, a house full of munchers," Brian muttered. "Just what I need."

"I told her it was okay," Justin continued. "We have that new bed for the guest room."

"That's fine. As long as we still get to keep Gus for the summer, I'm happy."

"She didn't say anything about those plans changing so I'm going to assume we can still keep him."

"It saves me a flight to Toronto, I don't want Gus flying by himself."

"Good point."

"Why did she call you and not me?" Brian wondered, knitting his brows in confusion. It would have made more sense for Lindsay to call him.

Justin shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe she thought I'd be more inclined to sympathize with her?" Brian shot him an angry look. "I mean, maybe she didn't want to bother you, she knows you're busy with work and all," he backtracked, laughing nervously.

"Maybe." He pulled out his cell phone and chuckled.

"What?" Justin asked.

"My phone's off."

"There you go." Justin turned to go. "She probably called you but couldn't get through."

"Sunshine?" Brian called.

"Yeah?" He turned around again.

"Can you get me some coffee?" Brian smiled sweetly.

"Coming right up Mr. Kinney." Justin rolled his eyes and went to make the coffee. Normally, Cynthia or someone else would be making the coffee, but Brian had insisted that Justin do it for the summer. As long as he doesn't send me to pick up his dry cleaning we're okay.

When he came back with two cups of coffee in tow, Brian was on the phone. Justin set one of the cups down on Brian's desk and sipped from the other one. _Now I remember why I don't like coffee_, he though, forcing himself to swallow. _It tastes like crap! _"Thanks," Brian mouthed, nodding.

Justin patiently waited for Brian to finish his conversation. Hanging up, Brian smiled. "What was that all about?" Justin asked.

"Guess who just got the Dawson account?" Brian replied.

"No way? Congratulations!" Justin threw his arms around Brian's neck and kissed him. "I know how hard you've been working to land that account."

"And now all my hard work has paid off," Brian said. "What do you say we celebrate?" He started to loosen his tie.

"Brian, we can't. I had to promise to keep things professional," Justin protested.

"Fuck professional," Brian growled.

"It's the rules…"

"Rules are meant to be broken."

"But if we get caught…." Justin began, but as soon as he felt Brian's hot breath on his neck and his hands roaming his body, all of his inhibitions went right out the window. Before he knew it, he was sprawled across Brian's desk, his clothes ripped off. _No one will know, it isn't a big deal_, he told himself.

Brian made love to him passionately. Even though they had sex frequently, Justin considered each time to be special and unique; each time was different. As Brian moved his hips, Justin closed his eyes and savored the pleasurable sensation._ Let's just hope nobody walks in_, Justin thought. _This isn't exactly the back room at Babylon_. Not that he would stop now, no matter what happened.

Afterward, while they rearranged their clothes, Justin said, "We really shouldn't have done that. If my school ever found out..."They'd kick him out and he would never be allowed back in.

"Quit worrying, Sunshine. How are they going to find out? It isn't like they've placed cameras in here and are watching your every move. Besides, I'm your boss, it was an order."

"I guess you're right. Let's just not make a habit of it, okay? I'm sure they're going to send someone to check it out frequently."

"Have it your way."

"Thanks."

"You should be flattered that you're getting all this special attention. Maybe the Dean wants you," Brian suggested jokingly.

"Yeah right!" Justin laughed. "He's got a wife and kids, Brian."

"So? I've fucked plenty of men who had wives and kids."

"I think he would've made a pass at me if he was interested, he's had plenty of opportunities."

"He doesn't know what he's missing," Brian said, rubbing Justin's shoulder.

"He's old anyway. I don't do old men."

"I'll remember that someday when I'm old," Brian muttered.

There was a light knock on the door and Cynthia walked in. "Sorry, am I interrupting something?" She couldn't contain her smile.

"No. What is it?" Brian replied, arching his eyebrows.

"I wanted to remind you that you have a meeting with Mr. Dwyer in ten minutes."

"Shit, that's right. Thank you, Cynthia." Brian began to look through the files on his desk.

"Just doing my job," Cynthia replied, spinning on her heel and walking out of the room.

"Shit," Brian grumbled, crouching down to search under his desk.

"What are you looking for?" Justin asked.

"I can find the goddamn Dwyer file, I know it was right here on my desk. I can't go to the meeting without it."

Justin pulled a folder out from under him. "Is this it?" he asked, holding it up for Brian to see.

"Yes." Brian snatched the folder out of Justin's hand. "Where was it?"

"I was sitting on it," Justin replied, laughing. "I was wondering what that was."

"Thanks." Brian grasped Justin's head in both hands and planted a kiss on his forehead. "I have to go get ready for that presentation."

"What do you want me to do?" Justin asked.

"Uh, if you could organize my desk, I'd appreciate it." Brian headed for the door.

"Whatever you say, honey," Justin called after him.

"Thanks, darling," Brian said snidely, before leaving.

Laughing, Justin set to work cleaning up the messy desk.

* * *

Michael smiled and handed the bag to the customer. "Thank you, come again." He smiled as the customer took the bag and left. Let's just hope that Justin and I can keep the ideas coming, he thought. They'd just released a new issue of Rage where Rage and J.T. adopt an orphaned child. It was selling almost as well as the wedding issue had.

The night before, he'd gotten a call from Melanie. She'd said that the whole family would be visiting Pittsburgh the following weekend. Michael had excitedly okayed the idea. Ever since the drama about moving to Toronto, he was anxiously waiting to see his beautiful Jenny Rebecca again. It still pained him every day that he and JR were apart, but he kept reminding himself that he had done it for Ben. He couldn't expect Ben to sacrifice his career. Especially since if the situation were reversed, he wasn't sure that he would give up his family to move closer to Ben's daughter. _This week needs to go by faster_, he thought, heaving a sigh. It seemed like a million years until the next week.

The school year was almost over, which meant that Hunter's graduation was fast approaching. Ben and Michael were planning a secret graduation party for him. Now all he had to do was decide on a college. Michael was fine with him going to a community college nearby, but Ben preferred for him to go to a real university and was encouraging him to apply at Carnegie Mellon, where he taught. _And how the hell are we supposed to pay for that? College was expensive fifteen years ago when I went, it's even worse now! What ever happened to the good old days when all you needed to get a job was a high school diploma? _It's definitely cheaper than a bachelor or master's degree.

He checked the clock; it was going on five. The store had opened at nine and business had been pretty good, thanks in no small part to the new Rage. Now that it was almost closing time, the store was practically empty. _Thank God! _Michael had to swing by the Liberty Diner and pick up Hunter before he could go home. _Too bad he doesn't have his own car. Too bad I don't have my own car. Sometimes I miss my Miata._

Locking up the store, Michael walked over to the diner. The early evening rush was on, but Hunter's shift was almost over. He sat in his usual booth and waved Hunter over. "What are you doing here?" Hunter asked.

"Your shift is almost over. I thought I'd come get something to eat, keep you company," Michael explained.

"Cool. What do you want to eat?" Hunter pulled out his pad and pencil. _He's like a miniature version of my mother_, Michael thought, momentarily scared speechless. "Michael? What do you want to eat?" Hunter repeated.

"Uh..." Michael shook his head. "I'll have the pink plate special," he said, staring down at his hands.

"Coming right up," Hunter mumbled, walking away.

Debbie came and sat down across from Michael. "Hi, honey,' she said, smiling. "I didn't expect to see you here." Ever since she had gotten married to Carl, his mother had seemed even happier than she normally did, if that was possible; except on the day that Emmett had moved out. Michael had stopped by and found his mother inconsolable. She wasn't that upset when I moved out, he didn't give voice to thoughts, it would just upset her.

"I came to get Hunter," Michael explained. "So, how are things?" They hadn't spoken since their family dinner night the week before and if for no other reason than to avoid a smacking, Michael wanted to be as attentive and good a son as he could be.

"Great! I didn't think I'd love having the house almost to myself again, but Emmett was right, I'm actually kind of enjoying it. Though I still have to use all of my willpower to turn off QVC when I see something I want." She laughed. "What about you, honey? I hardly ever see you anymore."

Michael smiled. "Things are going good. The shop's really busy right now and the money is flowing right in. I might actually be able to buy a car one day if things keep up."

"That's wonderful! Have you and Ben worked things out with Hunter?"

"I think so. We don't sit in awkward silences at the dinner table anymore." Damn it Ben, why did you have to have 'the talk' with Hunter? "I'm actually starting to like Lexi," he admitted.

"You'll have to invite her to one of our family dinners, I have to meet the girl who's enchanted my grandson."

Hunter came back with Michael's food. "What are you talking about?" he asked, sitting down next to Michael.

"I want to meet this girlfriend of yours," Debbie answered, winking at Michael. "I've heard so much about her, now it's time for the real test; if she can put up with me she's a keeper."

"Please don't embarrass me," Hunter begged.

"Why not!"

"Because I really like her, okay?" Hunter's cheeks flushed.

Debbie and Michael exchanged looks. "Well if she's that important to you, sweetie, then I promise I won't do anything to embarrass you. But she still needs to undergo some kind of test before she can join the Novotny family."

"Don't listen to her, she's kidding," Michael insisted.

"Am I?" Deb asked.

"When have you ever made such a big deal about things like this? You certainly didn't make Ben or Justin jump through hoops before you accepted them."

"Well, Sunshine was different, he was such a naive little thing."

"And Ben?" Michael challenged, arching his eyebrow.

"You remember how I reacted when I found out he was positive," Debbie reminded him.

Hunter cleared his throat. "Will you two stop bickering already? Jesus Christ! You're worse than an old married couple." Both Michael and Debbie looked down at their feet. "Now, I was thinking that since I'm graduating in a few weeks, we could all take that trip to Disney World that I've been talking about since I got back."

"Maybe, sweetheart," Deb muttered. She knew about the surprise graduation party, but had been sworn to secrecy. "That would be pretty expensive though."

"I could pay for my own room and plane ticket," Hunter insisted, "I haven't spent a dime of the money I've made working here."

After dinner, Deb drove Michael and Hunter home. "Don't forget you have to work tomorrow," she called out as Hunter got out of the car.

"I won't," he replied, rolling his eyes at Michael.

"Your shift starts at three so you'd better get your butt there on time, you hear?"

"Yes, Grandma." Hunter rolled his eyes behind Debbie's back.

"Good boy. Love you!"

"Love you," Michael and Hunter said in tandem.

Going into the house, Michael laughed. "She drives me crazy," he admitted. "How do you put up with her all day at the diner?"

"She's usually not too bad," Hunter answered. "But if she starts to get on my nerves I put these in," he pulled out a pair of ear buds. "Does the trick every time."

"I'll have to remember that," Michael muttered.

"Hey, you're home," Ben said, coming down the stairs. "How are my boys?"

"Fine," Hunter said, going into the living room.

"Great." Michael gave Ben a quick kiss. "How was yours?"

"Okay. I have a ton of finals to grade, but what else is new? So, are you looking forward to next weekend?"

"I cannot wait until next weekend, I'm going out of my mind!"

"It's good to see you so happy again." Ben smiled.

"It's been a work in progress. But I think I'm getting there."

"I'm glad."

"Me, too. Let's just hope I've gotten thicker skin since the last time I saw JR, I don't want a repeat of last time."

"I'm sure you'll be fine. If not, my offer still stands."

"Thanks." Michael gave him another kiss. "I'm going to go jump in the shower, care to join me?"

"Well, I do have all those papers to grade...but they can wait until tomorrow," Ben replied, unbuttoning his shirt.

"Tell Hunter we're going to bed," Michael suggested, heading upstairs.

"Don't bother, I know what you're doing. It's cool," Hunter called from the living room. "Everybody does it."

Michael turned the water on so hot that he could barely stand it. Ben got in next to him and started to rub his back. Michael let a quiet moan escape his lips. Maybe he could find something to occupy himself until next week.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Emmett learns that some things are not as easily forgotten as he had thought. Ted and Blake enjoy conjugal bliss.


	41. The Joys of Marriage

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Emmett and Calvin and Ted and Blake had a double wedding despite the fact that Emmett had had an affair with his ex-boyfriend Drew Boyd.

* * *

Chapter Forty

Despite his initial reservations, Emmett was enjoying the new apartment. Now that he had a steady income again, he amused himself redecorating, to make it even more to his liking. It had taken a little longer than Emmett had planned, but now that it was done, he didn't mind. "I didn't think it was possible," Calvin said. "But you've made the place look even better than it did before." He looked around the living room, which had once been carpeted. Emmett had had the carpet ripped up and hardwood flooring laid down. Brian had recommended the flooring.

"Thanks, sweetie." Emmett gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I really like the hardwood floor, it looks...classy." He gave a satisfied sigh. Maybe I should add interior decorating to my list of services.

"It's definitely better than that old carpet, it smelled like cat piss." Calvin wrinkled his nose in disgust at the memory.

"Well, an old woman did live here before we moved in. She was probably a sad old cat lady."

"Maybe," Calvin agreed. "Thank God we don't have any animals, they're so messy."

"Actually, I was thinking of getting a puppy," Emmett said with a straight face.

"You aren't serious?" Calvin whirled around.

"No." Emmett laughed. "You should've seen your face." He mocked Calvin: eyes wide and mouth open as wide as it would go. "Priceless!" They both laughed.

It felt good to laugh again. Even though he was happy being married to Calvin, Emmett was having a little trouble adjusting. He still wanted to go out to Babylon, but Calvin just wanted to stay in and be together. Normally Emmett wouldn't mind, but he missed his friends and the exhilaration of Babylon. He'd thought about talking to Calvin about it, but after the heartache he'd caused him with Drew, he didn't want to upset Calvin anymore than he already had._ If Brian can handle it, so can I!_

He'd confided in Michael because Michael had been married for a year and could possibly pass on some good advice. Any advice would be appreciated right now. He looked into Calvin's eyes and his heart skipped a beat. If this is going to work, we're both going to need to make sacrifices, Emmett thought. But if I don't get out of this apartment for something other than work or shopping, I am going to go out of my fucking mind! "Honey?" he asked, wringing his hands.

"Yeah?" Calvin replied, putting his arm around Emmett. "What can I do for you?"

"What do you think about going out tonight?"

"You mean dinner? We could do that." Calvin nodded his head. "You could use a break."

"No, I mean clubbing."

"Oh." Calvin stood up and busied himself organizing the magazines strewn across the coffee table.

"It's just that, we haven't been to Babylon together since the wedding, I thought it could be kind of fun." He shrugged, "Unless you don't want to."

"If you want to go, go," Calvin replied irritably.

Emmett sighed. "Calvin, come on, don't be like that. Why is it such a big deal? I just want to go out and have a good time with the man I love and my friends."

"I could ask you the same question," Calvin shot back, face flushed with anger.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Emmett rose from the couch and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Do you want to go out to the clubs because it's fun, or because you want to check out the hot young studs?"

"How can you even ask me that?" Emmett exclaimed. _Is he seriously bringing that up again? I've apologized a billion times for that, what more does he want from me?_

Calvin finally looked up at Emmett. There was a sadness in his eyes that Emmett hadn't noticed before. He took a deep, steadying breath "Let's not fight, okay?"

"You're right. Look, I'm going to go out for awhile, give us some space. We'll talk when I get back?" Emmett definitely needed to get out of the house now, if for no other reason than to avoid saying something he'd regret and ruining his relationship.

"Of course." Calvin kissed Emmett's forehead. "Have a good time; I'll be waiting for you."

"I love you," Emmett said meaningfully. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah." Calvin nodded emphatically. "I'm sorry about what I said."

"Don't be, I deserved it." Emmett forced himself to smile. "Well, I'll see you later."

"Bye."

He called Michael on the way. "Wanna go to Babylon tonight?" he asked.

"Emmett? Calvin let you out of the house?"

"Of course he did, I'm not his slave...except on special circumstances, but that's beside the point. Are you in or out?"

"I'm in. I'll see you in a bit."

"Ta."

As soon as Babylon was within sight, Emmett could feel the familiar thumpa thumpa pulsing throughout his body. _God I've missed this!_ Michael was waiting for him by the door. "Hey, how've you been? I haven't seen you in forever!" Emmett cried, looping his arm through Michael's.

"Good. What about you? Are things getting better at home?"

"Later," Emmett promised. "Right now all I want to do is shake my ass and have a fabulous time. Care to dance?" He extended his free hand toward Michael, who took it.

"Lead the way," Michael replied.

The meager lighting and loud music was just what Emmett needed to clear his head. He'd been cooped up in the apartment for too long and now that he was free, he was going to enjoy every last second. A few guys checked him out, but he flashed them his ring. _Sorry, I'm not going there again! He noticed a lot of new faces on the dance floor. I've been out of commission for far too long_, he thought.

After a few drinks, Emmett and Michael found a semi-quiet corner to talk. "So, how are things at home?" he asked, sipping his beer.

"They were going great until a few hours ago." Emmett put his head in his hands. What is going on with me? he wondered. He loved Calvin, wanted to be with him, so why did things have to be so complicated!

"What happened?" Michael asked, rubbing Emmett's back comfortingly.

"We had a fight," Emmett admitted. "I asked him if he wanted to go out. He assumed I meant to dinner, but when I suggested here, he just freaked out. He accused me of wanting to come here so I can look at look at other men."

"Isn't that why you come here?" Michael asked jokingly, but at Emmett's pissed off look, he bit his lip. "He knows that it doesn't mean anything though, right?"

Emmett shrugged. "I thought so. I thought the whole affair thing was behind us."

"It is," Michael assured him.

"Then why did he have to bring it up? It isn't like I'm whoring around, I'm just going out with my friends."

"Em, you know that, I know that, I think even Calvin knows that, but you did break his heart once before, it's going to take awhile to put the pain fully behind him."

"Maybe I shouldn't have married him," Emmett grumbled.

"Don't say that! You'll see, when you go home tonight, you'll both feel better. You'll kiss and make up and tomorrow you won't even remember why you were so upset."

"Yeah?" Emmett raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Yeah!" Michael insisted.

Emmett smiled. "Thanks. I'm sorry to lay all this on you. I'm sure you have more important things to do than listen to my soap opera-esque dramas."

"Don't be silly, Em. That's what friends are for. How many times have I come to you with my problems? Remember when I found out that David was going to the Baths? Or when Ben was being a dick because of the steroids? You were the one I turned to."

"That what friends are for," Emmett agreed.

"I do have one question, though."

"What?"

"Why are you here with me and not Ted? You and I are good friends, but you and Ted are best friends, shouldn't he be here, too?"

"To be honest, I've seen him as much as I've seen the rest of you this past month: not at all. I was actually hoping to see him here tonight, but he must've taken the night off or something. I tried calling him a couple of times, but I couldn't bring myself to leave a message."

"Why not?"

"He and Blake are enjoying their marital bliss, I don't want to ruin that. Besides, I don't want Blake to think that I'm trying to come between them or something."

"Yeah," Michael nodded. "You know that Ted would put you first."

"I may be responsible for the end of my marriage, I don't want to be responsible for ending someone else's, much less my best friend's."

"Stop talking like that!" Michael shook his head. "Go home and see your husband. Call me in the morning so I can say 'I told you so,' okay?"

"Okay. Night, sweetie." Emmett kissed Michael's cheek.

"Night."

On his way home, Emmett realized that Michael was right, He had married Calvin because he loved him and he wouldn't throw that away for anything. Maybe going to Babylon wasn't so important after all, at least, not compared to his marriage. He rushed the rest of the way back to the apartment.

Calvin was sitting in the living room, reading a book. "You're home early," he said, not looking away from his book.

"Yeah, it wasn't all that much fun." Emmett shut the door behind him and climbed on top of Calvin. "I missed you!"

"Emmett, are you feeling all right?" Calvin asked.

"I'm fine."

Before Calvin could speak again, Emmett put his hand over Calvin's mouth. "Shhh. Just kiss me," he ordered, removing his hand. The kiss was passionate, much to Emmett's enjoyment.

"Do you want to take this to the bedroom?" Calvin asked, grinning.

"Wait. There's something I want to say first."

"What?" Calvin sat up, brows knit in confusion.

"I love you. I know I don't always show it, but I do. You make me so happy, happier than I've ever been. I'm sorry I've been so out of it lately, you're right: Babylon isn't important, it'll always be there, but if I keep it up, you won't." He chewed his lip.

"Oh, Em," Calvin gasped, holding Emmett tightly in his arms. "I'm sorry, too. I know that you like to go out. It has nothing to do with looking at other men, I'm sorry I accused you of cheating."

"Forget it."

"It's just that when I think of you with anyone else…I just can't stand it. I love you so much."

"You don't have to worry about that. You're the only one I want. I would never to do that to you again. I couldn't stand it if I lost you."

"Me neither. But I'm thinking maybe I should see a counselor or something about this. It's not as easy as I thought it would be."

"If you think that would help, I say go for it. I know these kinds of things take a long time to get over. In fact, I'll even go with you…if you want."

"Of course." Calvin grinned.

"But I have to ask...why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did you keep it locked up inside?"

"Because I didn't want to rock the boat," Calvin admitted, sighing. "I thought that if I tried hard enough, I'd be able to deal with it. I should've said something. I'm sorry."

Emmett stood up and pulled Calvin up after him. " You have nothing to be sorry about." He smiled warmly. "Now what do you say we go have make up sex? There's no better solution."

"I say let's do it!" He picked Emmett up over his shoulder and carried him –– laughing hysterically –– into the bedroom.

* * *

Ted rolled over onto his side. The morning light shone in through the window right into his eyes. Still half asleep, he yanked the blanket up over his head to block out the sunshine. He was just drifting off to sleep again when Blake came into the room, carrying a tray of food. "Rise and shine!" Blake said, pulling the blanket down.

"Is it morning already?" Ted grumbled, opening his eyes.

"Unfortunately," Blake replied, sitting down on his side of the bed and putting the tray between them.

"What's that smell?" Ted inquired as he stretched.

"I made breakfast. I hope you like it." Blake smiled warmly at Ted and nodded at the tray. It was full of breakfast foods: eggs, bacon, toast, waffles, orange juice, the list went on.

Ted licked his lips hungrily. "Wow, you made all this for me?" He reached for a fork.

"Well, not all for you, but, yeah." Blake grabbed a piece of toast and took a bite.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" Ted asked as he started to eat. Blake was an excellent cook. It was one of his finer attributes.

"I don't know, saved my life, helped me get a job, convinced me to go straight..." He laughed.

"That was the old you," Ted reminded him.

"So? If it wasn't for you, I would've died on the bathroom floor at Babylon."

"I'm sure someone would've found you eventually," Ted said, blushing.

Blake shook his head. "You're too modest, Ted. Just trust me on this, okay?"

"Okay." Ted smiled "You know what? It doesn't matter." He decided to a change of subject was in order. "So, what's on the agenda today?" Ever since their wedding, neither of them left the condo but to work and grocery shop. Ted had hired a manager to take care of Babylon, so that saved him from having to go out at night. Instead, they stayed in and cuddled, made love, and did other couple stuff.

Blake chewed his food thoughtfully. "I have no idea," he admitted. "What about you?"

"I don't know." Ted shrugged. "I should probably talk to my friends before they think that you and I disappeared off the face of the Earth." He chuckled. Even though he had been slightly nervous about the marriage at first, Ted realized that now that it was over, he was happier than he'd ever been. With Blake in his life, he needed nothing else. "I should probably get out of bed soon," he noted, "or else I'll start to get bedsores."

He stood up and stretched again. Walking over to the window, Ted closed the curtains, effectively blocking out the obnoxiously bright sunlight. "You really haven't talked to your friends in the last month?" Blake asked incredulously.

"I haven't," Ted confirmed. "I've been so busy enjoying your company." He sat back down on the bed and stroked Blake's head. "I guess I'm enjoying marriage more than I thought I would."

"You think?" Blake joked.

"I do miss them, though," Ted continued. "Especially Emmett. I hope he doesn't think I've abandoned him."

"Maybe you should call him, then," Blake suggested sarcastically. "Invite them over or something. I know how important your friends are to you."

"They're not as important as you," Ted replied. "To be honest, I don't really feel like going out. I'm perfectly content to just stay in and make love to you all day every day."

"As nice as that sounds, if we don't leave the apartment soon, your friends are going to send a search party after us. Either that or they're going to be mad as hell."

Ted laughed. "Brian won't care, I see him every day. He can tell the others that I'm not dead."

"Ted," Blake said seriously. As much as he enjoyed being with Ted, he didn't want Ted's friends to think that he had stolen their friend away. It was times like these that Blake was thankful for the fact that he had very few friends of his own; he didn't have to shape his life around his friends' wants and needs, only his own and Ted's.

"What?"

"Go see your friends."

"Fine!" Ted rolled his eyes and got up out of bed. "On one condition." He gave Blake a devilish grin.

Blake arched his eyebrow, barely holding back a smile. "What's the one condition?" he asked.

"You come with me." Blake smiled. "Well?" Ted prompted.

"I'm not sure about this," Blake admitted.

"Why not?" Ted couldn't believe his ears.

"Well, you haven't seen or spoken to your friends in over a month and the first time you do you're going to bring me along?" Even though he'd been accepted by the gang, he had an inkling that they would prefer to see Ted by himself this time. He didn't take it personally.

Ted furrowed his brows. "What is that supposed to mean?" he asked, halting at the doorway.

"Just that maybe you should do this one alone. I'll come next time." Blake stared at the tray of food that was now completely consumed.

"This isn't because you think my friends don't like you is it?" Ted inquired.

"Of course not," Blake insisted, "I just think that since they haven't seen you for so long, it they would be more comfortable if it was just you."

Ted chewed his lip. "I see," he said, itching his ear. "Well, that's the way you feel, I won't make you come. You can do whatever you want, just be here when I get back."

"I'll be here," Blake promised, clearing the tray off of the bed. "Hurry back, okay?"

"I will."

He drove to the diner. It was strange, he hadn't realized until he went back just how much he missed meeting his friends there. _I've been a crappy friend_, he thought, getting out of the car. As he walked in, Debbie caught sight of him and froze. "Hey, Deb," he said kindly.

"Holy Fuck! Guys, it's Teddy!" she exclaimed, rushing over and throwing her arms around him. "Where the hell have you been? I was starting to think you'd died!" She smacked his cheek.

"Ow!" Ted gasped, rubbing his sore cheek. "I'm sorry." He guiltily hung his head.

"You're forgiven –– this time. But if you ever pull a stunt like this again, your ass is grass, got it?"

"Got it," Ted mumbled.

"Come here." She gave him another hug.

When she pulled away, Debbie pointed over to the booth that Ted and the others usually used when they came in. "Now go say hi to your friends before they smack you, too."

"I will." Ted smiled and tentatively approached the table, where Emmett and Michael were sitting. "Hey, guys," he said shyly.

"Teddy?" Emmett jumped up and hugged him. "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you, too," Ted confessed, sitting down next to Emmett. "Both of you." Michael smiled. Suddenly, it felt as though he'd never been away. Thank God for good friends.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin welcome Lindsay and Gus back to Pittsburgh. Lindsay and Melanie travel through uncharted territory.


	42. Minus a Lesbian

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Lindsay called to ask if she could come and stay with Brian and Justin for a week.

After talking to Melanie, Michael was excited at the prospect of seeing JR.

Despite his best intentions, Calvin was not quite able to put Emmett's affair behind him. He decided to see a therapist in order to save their marriage.

Happy with Blake, Ted had shut himself off from his friends. Blake convinced him to go to lunch at the diner and Ted finally rejoined the real world.

* * *

Chapter Forty-One

The plane was an hour late. Brian had lost his patience after about half an hour. "What the fuck is taking so long?" he grumbled, tapping his feet impatiently on the linoleum floor.

"Just relax. They'll be here," Justin replied, flipping the page in his magazine. He was bored, too, but he wasn't about to make a scene.

"That's what you said an hour ago," Brian reminded him testily. "They're still not here."

"Do you want to look at my magazine?" Justin offered it to Brian. _Anything to get him to stop his bitching_!

"Fine," Brian said snidely, snatching the magazine from Justin's hand. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll just close my eyes and relax."

Brian sighed and looked at his watch for the millionth time. "They better get here soon, I'm losing my patience."

"Are you kidding? You lost that half an hour ago," Justin mumbled. Brian ignored him. "I can't wait to see Gus. I bet he's grown so much since we last saw him."

"I'm sure he did. Kids are always growing, aren't they?" Even though his tone was light, Justin could detect the underlying pain. Brian still felt bad about the fact that his son was not a part of his everyday life. Hopefully when the new baby comes it'll ease his pain a little.

When the plane finally landed, Brian handed the magazine back to Justin. The airport was crowded, but he was able to make out Lindsay and Gus. "Daddy!" Gus cried, letting go of Lindsay's hand and running toward his dad. Brian knelt down and hugged Gus tightly, picking him up and kissing his cheek. "Hey, Sonny Boy!" He had forgotten how good it felt to hold his son in his arms.

Lindsay smiled and set the luggage down. "He's definitely excited to see you," she said to Brian. They shared a quick hug.

"Are you excited to see your old man, Gus?" Brian asked.

"Yes!" Gus exclaimed. Brian laughed and ruffled Gus's hair.

"How have you been?" Lindsay inquired, hugging Justin.

"Great. How about you?" Justin picked up her luggage.

"Thanks. I've been good, but I'm glad I've got some time off. I forgot how tiring teaching is."

"You could always quit and work on your art career," Justin joked.

"Yeah, Mel would love that." Linz laughed. "Besides, I get the whole summer off, I can't really complain."

"Good point."

They walked out of the airport and Lindsay paused. "Brian, we're not all going to fit in your car," she pointed out.

"That's why I took the liberty of renting you a car," Brian replied, handing her a set of car keys. "Enjoy." He gave her a peck on the cheek and led her to the rental car.

"Oh, my God!" she gasped, mouth hanging open. "A Porsche?" Justin whistled appreciatively. "You didn't spare any expenses did you?"

"Nothing but the best for you and Gus," Brian explained, shrugging it off as though he'd rented her a clunker instead of a sports car.

"I don't know what to say," Lindsay began, still in shock.

"Don't say anything, just get in the fucking thing and drive," Brian replied, putting her luggage in the trunk.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Lindsay followed them back to the house. "How much do you want to bet she's going to freak out when she sees the house?" Brian asked.

"Do we even need to place a bet? Everybody else did, why wouldn't she? God, even I freaked out a little the first time I saw it."

"I'll let you in on a little secret. So did I," Brian admitted. Justin laughed disbelievingly.

"You mean there are still things in this world that can cause you to freak out?"

"Sure. Just not many."

Brian pulled up the driveway and cut the engine. Lindsay stopped behind him. "Wow," she gasped, staring openmouthed at the mansion. "This place is gorgeous!"

"Wait until the you see the rest," Justin replied. He went over the Lindz's car and helped her with the luggage.

"I have some maternity clothes for Daphne," she said. "From when I was pregnant with Gus. Hopefully she'll be able to wear them."

"Thanks." Justin smiled. If there was anyone who was as excited about the baby as him, it was Lindsay. And now that she was in town, she could tell both him and Daphne what to expect with the pregnancy. Daphne would've asked her mother, but Mrs. Chanders didn't exactly approve of what her daughter was doing. _Probably because I'm the father,_ Justin thought with a faint smile.

They went into the house and Lindsay immediately found Justin's studio. Must be an artist thing. "What are you working on?" she asked, nodding toward the covered easel in the middle of the room.

"Oh, it's just a painting," Justin explained, wringing his hands.

"Can I see it?" Lindsay asked, taking a step forward.

"Uh, I'd prefer if you didn't."

"Oh." Lindsay chewed her lip and stopped in her tracks.

"It's nothing personal, Linz. No one's seen it yet. When I'm done with it, you can be the first person to see it, I promise." He smiled.

"The first?" Lindsay pressed.

"Okay," he relented, "second. Brian will want to see it first."

"Deal. Now where did Brian and Gus disappear to?" She walked back into the foyer, looking around.

"They probably went upstairs so Gus could see his room. I'm going to let him pick out which color to paint it."

"He'll like that. It'll be more like his room that way."

"That's what I thought. Now come on, I'll show you your room."

Lindsay's room was down the hall from the others, in the other wing of the house. "You'll have plenty of privacy," Justin assured her. "You even have your own bathroom."

"Thanks." Lindsay smiled and sat down on the bed. "Wow, this is really comfortable."

"It's new. We bought if just for you."

"You guys didn't have to do that." She chewed her lip.

"Don't worry about it, we were going to do it anyway."

Brian and Gus came into the room. "How are you liking Daddy's new house, Gus?" Lindsay asked, stroking his head.

"It's big," Gus answered excitedly.

"You haven't even seen the best part yet. You have a pony out in the stables just waiting for you to ride, and the pool can be opened in a few weeks," Brian said.

"Did you hear that, Gus? Your very own pony!" Lindsay gasped excitedly.

"Can I go see it?" Gus asked, jumping down from Linz's lap and grabbing Brian's hand.

"Why don't we all go see it?" Lindsay suggested. "I still have to see the whole house."

"Sure, why not?" Justin replied.

With Gus eagerly leading the way, they went out the back door and followed the cement walkway past the pool and tennis court to the stables. Throwing open the doors, Gus ran over to the small pony that was hungrily chewing on some straw. "Do you want to sit on his back?" Brian asked. Gus nodded. Brian lifted the boy up and put him on the pony's back, careful to keep a hand on him in case he should lose his balance. "Look, Mom. He's a natural."

"Yes, he is," Lindsay agreed. She spotted a harness that was too small for a horse on the shelf. "I bet you two have had plenty of fun out here." She smirked at Brian, who looked past her to Justin.

"We have," Brian confirmed calmly. "Tons."

Linz laughed and turned to look at Justin, who blushed. "Yeah," he agreed. Lindsay shook her head, grinning.

"You're something else," she muttered.

"I'm hungry," Gus said loudly. Brian helped him down to the ground.

"Me, too. Let's go get something to eat." He took Gus's hand and they rushed back to the house.

"He's going to be such a good dad," Lindsay said to Justin.

"I couldn't agree more. I just hope Gus doesn't think we're trying to replace him."

"He's a little young for that. But don't worry, I'll explain it to him."

"Thanks, Linz. What would we do without you?" They linked arms and started up the path back to the house.

"You'd do just fine. So, how's Daphne doing?"

Justin shrugged. "Fine. She's only been pregnant for a month, I keep waiting for her to show," he admitted, laughing.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but that won't happen for awhile yet, most women don't start to gain weight until the second trimester. Is she experiencing morning sickness yet?"

"Oh yeah. Believe me, I've heard all about it." Justin frowned.

"It usually goes away after the first trimester," Lindsay continued helpfully.

"Too bad you couldn't just stay here and help her through all of this, I certainly don't know what to do."

"What about your mom or Deb?" Lindsay suggested. "They could probably help her."

"I guess. I just don't know if she'd be comfortable talking to them, she doesn't know them all that well."

"She doesn't know me all that well, either."

"You got me there." Justin laughed. "Come on, let's go inside before they eat without us."

Lindsay nodded and followed Justin back into the house.

* * *

Later that night, after Lindsay had given Gus a bath, Justin was sitting with Gus in his room. Brian and Lindsay were catching up downstairs. "What's your favorite color, Gus?" Justin asked, putting Gus's clothes into the dresser for him. If he was going to stay with them for the summer, they were definitely going to have to get him some more clothes.

"Blue," Gus replied, not looking up from his coloring book.

"Well guess what? Because blue's your favorite, that's what color I'm going to paint your room. How does that sound?"

"Yes!" Gus yelled, jumping up and throwing himself into Justin lap. For a second, Justin closed his eyes and reveled in the affection. Taking care of Gus for the summer would be a good experience for him; he'd learn a lot that he could use when the baby came.

"We can go to the store next week and get started. Before you know it, the whole room will be blue."

Brian opened the door. "What are you two talking about?" he asked, joining them on the bed.

"Daddy, guess what?" Gus asked, moving over onto Brian's lap. Justin smiled. He was glad that Brian and Gus got along so well. For a brief second, he was nostalgic for his early childhood when he and his dad had actually gotten along. _Let it go_, he chastised himself. _He's an asshole and a homophobic one at that. There's no room for another person like that in life, especially someone who's in your family_.

"What?" Brian smiled down at his son and wondered how he could ever have not been a part of Gus's life.

"Justin said I can paint my room blue!" Gus continued excitedly.

"He did? Why blue?"

"It's my favorite color," Gus replied.

"It is? Well guess what? It's mine, too." He looked over at Justin and smiled. Justin returned the smile and slid over so that he was closer to Brian, who put one arm around Justin and the other around Gus. "We're going to have a great summer, aren't we, Sonny Boy?"

Gus nodded his head and snuggled up against Brian's chest. Looking down, Brian noticed that Gus had closed his eyes and was drifting off to sleep. Slowly, he lay back, moving Gus so that he was lying next to him. Justin stood up and turned out the light. He considered leaving Brian and Gus alone, but Brian patted the spot beside him.

Quietly, he got on the other side of Brian and pulled the blanket over himself. Brian leaned over and kissed him softly, clasping Justin's hands in his own. Justin kissed the back of Brian's neck and nuzzled it with his nose. Before long, they were all asleep.

* * *

In her room, Lindsay lay sprawled on the big bed. She'd never slept in such a comfortable bed in all of her life. Too bad Mel and I couldn't just move in here, she thought with a faint smile. At that moment, she realized that she really missed Mel and the baby. Looking at the time, she pulled her cell phone out her purse and called Melanie. "Hey, Boo Boo," Mel purred into the phone.

"Hey," Lindsay replied, smiling. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too. I hate being away from you for even this long."

"Me, too. I can't wait to see you and the baby."

"How are things going down there?" Melanie asked.

In the background, Linz could hear JR crying. She felt a pang in her heart, but kept her emotions in check. "Okay. This place is enormous, you're going to flip when you see it."

"Probably. Though, it is Brian's house, so I'm sure I won't be too shocked. How's Gus settling in?"

"He's having the time of his life. You should see him; there's this light in his eyes that I haven't seen in awhile. He misses Brian."

"Linz," Mel began. They'd had this discussion plenty of times in the past few months.

"I know. We moved to Canada so that our kids would be accepted despite our relationship."

"But?" Melanie prompted.

"Sometimes I wonder if Gus wouldn't be better off if he was here with Brian. Every child needs a father."

"It isn't like he doesn't ever see Brian. He'll be there all summer and every break from school."

"I know," Lindsay repeated. "You're right." She paused. "How's Jenny Rebecca? I can hear her crying."

Melanie laughed. "She's fine, aren't you JR? She's just hungry."

"Maybe I should've brought her with me," Lindsay said. She had planned to, but Melanie had felt that it would be in Jenny Rebecca's best interest to stay home.

"She misses you," Melanie explained.

"Really?" Linz asked. Even though Melanie was the baby's main care giver, Lindsay spent as much time as possible with her daughter.

"Yeah, she was fine until about the time you normally get home from work. She's been fussy ever since."

"Give her a kiss for me," Lindsay said.

"Better yet, do you want to talk to her?" Melanie brought Jenny up to her chest, so that she was near the phone.

"Sure," Lindsay replied, smiling.

"Here she is."

Lindsay heard a gurgling sound. "Jenny, is that you, sweetie? It's Mommy. I love you, sweetheart. Mommy can't wait to see you. She misses you so much." The gurgling sound stopped. "Honey?"

"She's drifting off to sleep," Melanie whispered. "Thanks. I was going out of my mind."

"Glad I could be of assistance."

"Are you alone?" Mel asked, keeping her voice low.

"Yes. Why?" Lindsay sat up in bed.

"I thought that since you're not here for me to make love to you, we could do it over the phone."

Lindsay laughed. "You're serious?" she asked. She'd never had phone sex before, so it was a little strange to her.

"Of course."

"What about the baby?"

"She's asleep, don't worry."

"Okay," Lindsay relented.

"Are you wet?" Mel asked, voice still low.

"Yes," Lindsay replied, sliding her hand down the front of her lounging pants.

"Good, I'm eating you out," Melanie continued, her voice husky.

"It feels good," Linz played along. She imagined the feel of Melanie's body on top of hers; Mel's hot breath on her skin; the tingling sensation caused by Melanie's hands roaming all over her body.

"You're loving it, aren't you?" Melanie growled, her breath coming in quick spurts.

"Yeah," Lindsay gasped as the pleasure increased. She arched her back and held her pillow in a death grip.

"Are you close?" Melanie's breathing was even quicker now, her climax close.

"Mmmhmm," Lindsay managed. Her heart was racing and she was breathing just as hard as Melanie's.

With a quiet moan, she climaxed, letting her body fall back onto the mattress. "Are you still there?" she panted into the phone.

"I'm still here," Melanie panted. "That was good."

"I love you," Lindsay said, wishing for all the world that Melanie was in the bed next to her and not all the way back in Canada.

"I love you, too, Linz." Lindsay yawned. "You sound tired," Melanie noted.

"I am, the flight was exhausting."

"I can't wait."

Lindsay hung up and fell asleep, imaging herself in Melanie's arms.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin enjoy time with Gus. Lindsay meets her mother for lunch. Ted considers selling Babylon. The guys return to Babylon for a reunion.


	43. Fags Forever

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Lindsay and Gus came back to Pittsburgh.

Despite his best efforts, Calvin was not quite able to put Emmett's affair behind them. Together, he and Emmett decided to seek counselor to save their relationship before it turned bad.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Two

Debbie set a plate of fries on the counter. "Here you go, honey," she said, smiling kindly.

"Gus, what do you say?" Lindsay prompted from the seat next to Gus.

"Thank you," Gus replied. He started to eat his lunch.

"You're welcome, sweetie." Deb took the seat next to Lindsay. "So, how've you been?" she asked.

"Great. I'm so glad to be back in Pittsburgh, I wish I could stay for the whole summer."

"That would be nice," Deb agreed. "We've sure missed you girls."

"What about you? Anything new going on?" Lindsay and Debbie hadn't talked since they'd last been in town right for Brian and Justin's wedding.

Debbie smiled. "Well, actually..." She held up her left hand so that Lindsay could see her wedding ring.

"Oh, my God! You got married!" Lindsay gasped and snatched Deb's hand, bringing it closer to her face so that she could examine the ring.

"Yep, Carl and I went down the City Hall and got it taken care of."

"Why didn't you tell me? You know that we would've been on the first flight out here."

"I know. Carl and I agreed that we wanted a small and simple wedding. We didn't want a big deal made of it. Plus, that way, it was more like a commitment ceremony than a wedding."

"I can understand that," Linz relented. "I still can't believe that Ted and Emmett had their weddings without letting us know." Neither Melanie nor Lindsay had known until Justin had told Lindsay that morning. _It's almost like I don't belong here anymore_, she thought sadly.

"They probably didn't feel comfortable asking you to come down here just for them," Deb mused. _We did for Brian and Justin, why wouldn't we do it for them?_

Brian, Justin, and the others were sitting in a corner booth. "You know, we are all so close once upon a time," Lindsay muttered, looking over at her friends. "Now, I feel like an outsider."

"Don't be silly. They talk about you and Melanie all the time. You could never be an outsider to us honey," Debbie cajoled, putting a comforting arm around Lindsay. "You're always in our hearts."

"I know it's ridiculous," Lindsay sniffled. "I feel so out of the loop, you know? Sometimes I wish we'd never moved to Canada. But then I think about our kids and the fact that they're going to have a better life without prejudice."

"Well, honey, the only advice I can give you is come back as much as possible."

Lindsay laughed. "Thanks, Deb, that's great advice." She felt her mood lightening. Sure she missed her friends and family in Pittsburgh, but her top priority was her children. She looked at her watch. She was supposed to meet her mother and was running late. "Oh, I have to go. I'm meeting my mother. It was nice talking to you, Deb."

"You, too Lindsay. Come see me again before you head back home."

"I will. Mel will be here in a few days and we'll stop by and see you." Lindsay brought Gus over to Brian's table. Her mother had insisted that Gus stay with Brian. _That can't mean anything good._

Brian looked up from his food. "Hey, Sonny Boy. Come on, sit next to Daddy."

"Thanks. My mother is going to kill me, I'm running late. I'll see you later, sweetie." Lindsay gave Gus a quick kiss before rushing out the door.

"So..." Emmett began. "What do we talk about now?"

"What do you mean?" Ted asked.

"Well, we have to watch what we talk about now." He nodded at Gus, who was happily eating his fries.

They all fell silent. Debbie came by with her coffee pot. "Who died?" she asked, looking around the table.

"No one," Emmett replied.

"Then, why is it so quiet over here?"

"We can't think of anything to talk about that's appropriate for Gus to hear," Emmett explained.

"That's pathetic, you know that? You can't think of anything to talk about that doesn't include sex?"

"Not at the moment, no," Brian answered.

"Well you'd better get used to it. Gus is going to be here all summer and with the new..."

"Shh!" Brian interrupted, shooting Deb a death glare.

"What?" she demanded. "Don't 'shh!' me!"

"He doesn't know yet," Justin explained.

"I see. When are you going to tell him, after it comes?"

"When the time's right," Brian insisted.

"And when will that be?" Debbie challenged.

"When we decide it is," Brian shot back, holding Deb's gaze until she broke eye contact.

"Just don't wait too long." She walked off, coffee pot in tow.

Justin took a deep breath. "So, how are things at Babylon? We haven't been there in awhile."

"No idea," Michael replied. "I don't go all that often anymore."

"Why not?" Brian asked.

"Well, for one thing, none of my friends are there, and for another, Ben and I like to spend our evenings together at home."

"I see. Where the fuck have you two been?" Brian asked Ted and Emmett.

"Brian!" Justin chastised.

"He's heard if before. Don't repeat that word, Gus. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good boy." He looked back at Emmett and Ted. "Well?" he prompted.

"I kept your manager so I wouldn't have to go in all the time," Ted admitted, nervously avoiding eye contact.

"What about you?" Brian asked Emmett.

"I have been redecorating my apartment. Michael and I went to Babylon last week, but I haven't been there since."

Brian sighed. "I knew this would happen eventually."

"What?" Michael asked.

"We'd all move on with our lives and forget the one thing that made us who we are: Babylon. If I could, I'd go down there tonight."

"I'll go," Justin said. "We could all have a reunion type thing."

"I don't know..." Ted began.

"Ted shut up, you're going. Bring Blake if you have to," Brian demanded.

Emmett bit his tongue. After his fight with Calvin the previous week, he wasn't sure that this was a good idea. "I can't," he said. "Calvin and I have plans."

"What plans?" Brian challenged.

"Plan plans," Emmett replied. _Leave it alone Brian!_

"Well, cancel your plan plans, put on your leather pants, and come to Babylon with us."

"Fine," Emmett relented, sighing. He knew that once Brian made up his mind about something, there was no swaying him. _This better not start a fight between Calvin and I_. He caught Michael's eye across the table and smiled. "Well boys, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to work. _Ciao_." He put enough money to cover his portion down on the table and left.

Brian rolled his eyes. "What's up his ass?" he asked. Justin gave him another reprimanding look but didn't say anything.

"He and Calvin got in a fight last week," Michael explained. "Emmett was going stir crazy being at home with Calvin all the time and when he suggested they go out to Babylon, Calvin accused him of wanting to go out so that he could check out the guys."

"What? He's not still upset about the Drew thing, is he?" Ted asked.

"It would appear so." Michael shook his head sadly. "Thankfully, they patched things up. I just hope this won't blow the whole thing wide open again."

"Poor Emmett," Ted mumbled, "I had no idea."

"I think he'd prefer if it was kept that way," Michael suggested.

"I won't say anything unless he brings it up," Ted promised.

"Can we stop with the pity party sentiments?" Brian asked.

"How can you say that?" Ted demanded, his face flushing with anger. "Emmett's your friend!"

Brian laughed. "Come on, it isn't like they're getting divorced. It was just a fight, you're all blowing this way out of proportion."

"Maybe we are, but at least we care," Ted replied.

"Let's cool it, okay guys?" Justin said. "We're all friends here, remember?" Ted nodded at Brian, who arched his eyebrow.

"Yeah," Michael added. "Let's change the subject."

"To what?" Brian asked.

"Ted, what ever happened to the live entertainment thing for the club?"

"To be honest, it's a lot more work than I thought it would be. I just don't know if I have the patience for it anymore."

"Are you going to sell the club?" Justin asked. The thought of Babylon falling into the hands of a creep like Gary Sapperstein –– the owner before Brian –– gave Justin the shivers.

"No," Ted assured them all. "Not right now, anyway. Maybe a few years down the road..."

"You accountants, always thinking ahead," Brian said.

"It's what we do best."

Next to Brian, Gus yawned. "Are you ready for a nap, Gus?" Justin asked. Gus nodded. "We'd better get him home," he said to Brian.

"All right. We'll see you all later tonight at Babylon." Brian threw a wad of money on the table and carried Gus out to the car. With Gus in their care, Brian had decided to switch cars with Lindsay for the day. "I'd better enjoy it while I can," Brian muttered. "I won't be seeing much of Babylon this summer."

"Sure you will. If you want to go, I'll stay home with Gus. I don't mind," Justin replied, getting in the passenger seat.

"I wouldn't want to go without you," Brian said. "I'd be bored out of my mind."

"You mean that?" Justin felt a warm, tingling sensation in his chest.

"What do you think?" Brian shot back. "Of course, I do. Without you there, who will I fuck?"

"Very funny." Justin rolled his eyes. A year ago, he would've thought that Brian was being serious, but after all that had happened in the last few months, he knew better. Brian was kidding. There was a twinkle in his eye that seemed to say _I don't want to go without you because I love you._

"Unless we get a babysitter, neither of us will be going to Babylon for a few months."

Looking in the rearview mirror, Justin saw that Gus was passed out. Yawning, he realized that he was a little tired, too. All of those late nights with Brian were catching up with him_. This'll come in handy when the baby comes_, he thought, resting his head on Brian's shoulder. When Brian looked down at Justin a few seconds later, he was sleeping. Lovingly, he kissed the top of Justin's head.

* * *

When Emmett got home from work, Calvin was cleaning up in the kitchen. "How was your day?" Calvin asked, giving Emmett a kiss. After just a few sessions with the counselor, their relationship was back on track to where it had been before the affair and Emmett couldn't be happier.

"Fine. How was yours?" Emmett had thought long and hard about the conversation with his friends at the diner. They had kind of drifted apart in the past month, and what better way to liven things up than to revisit their favorite place?

"Great," Calvin answered, "I got a promotion." Calvin grinned.

"Sweetie, that's wonderful!" Emmett jumped up into Calvin's arms. "I'm so proud of you!"

"What do you say we got out to celebrate?"

"Where?"

"I was thinking...Babylon." Calvin winked at Emmett.

"What changed your mind?" Emmett blinked in disbelief. Just last week Calvin had wanted nothing to do with Babylon and now he wanted to celebrate there?

"I realized that you were right. I didn't want you going to Babylon because I was jealous."

"And now?"

"I know that I have no reason to be jealous. We're married and you love me; that's all I need to know."

Emmett suddenly had a thought. "This is so ironic!" he exclaimed, standing up.

"Why?"

Emmett laughed in disbelief. "I was with my friends today at the diner and we decided that since we haven't gotten together in awhile, we should all go to Babylon tonight."

"You're right, that is ironic," Calvin replied sarcastically.

"Don't be a smart ass!" Emmett smacked Calvin on the arm, but couldn't hold back his smile.

"What did you tell them?"

"I told them I'd talk to you about it."

"Well you'd better tell them that we'll be there."

"Thank you!" Emmett kissed him passionately and then ran off the bedroom to look for some clothes to wear. Calvin laughed jovially.

* * *

Lindsay had been more than happy to stay home with Gus. "After this week, I won't see him again until the end of August," she'd explained. "I want to spend as much time with him as possible." The meeting with her mother had not gone as she'd suspected. Mrs. Peterson had just wanted to fill Lindsay in on her sister's latest wedding drama, a subject she felt was not suitable for Gus to hear. _When will Lynette learn that she's just not meant to be married_? she had thought.

As soon as Brian stepped foot into Babylon he felt more relaxed. _Better make the most of tonight_, he thought, pulling Justin behind him. The others were waiting for them by the bar. "Hey, guys," Justin said. Michael, Ted, and Emmett had all brought their spouses.

"We were starting to think you weren't coming," Michael replied.

"Why?" Brian asked.

"Usually you're the first one here. When we got here and didn't see you..."

"We thought maybe you'd found something better to do," Ted finished, waggling his eyebrows.

"We'll save that for the back room," Brian said, signaling to the bartender to bring him two beers. He handed one to Justin and took a swig from the other.

Four young guys walked by, each turning to look at Brian and the others. Stifling a laugh, they continued to the dance floor. "Did you see that?" Justin asked, laughing in disbelief.

"Yeah," Michael replied sadly. "They just laughed at us."

"They just looked at us like we were pathetic old perverts years past our prime." Brian scowled in contempt. "Little fuckers."

"Yeah, don't they know who they're laughing at? I was the King of Babylon," Justin played along. "And I'm still in my early twenties. I won't be old for a looooooooong time." Brian shot him a warning look. Justin hid a smile behind his beer bottle.

"Can you blame them?" Ted asked. "I mean, look at us: we are a little old to still be going clubbing."

"_You're_ too old to still be going clubbing," Brian corrected him. "You're thirty-nine. So, if anyone deserves to be chased out of here by a screaming mob, it's you."

"Thanks, Bri," Ted grumbled. "You're such a good friend. You always know how to make me feel good about myself."

Michael laughed. "Do you remember when we used to used to do that to the old guys?" he asked, smiling at the memory.

"We're not old!" Brian insisted. "We're just not twenty anymore." He couldn't quite hide the disgust in his voice.

"When I'm forty, I'm drawing the line," Emmett announced. "Then, I'll be too old for clubbing."

"Gee, Emmett. What will you do with yourself then?" Brian asked with fake sweetness.

"I don't know. Stay in, enjoy married life."

Brian scoffed. "That can only go so far," he mumbled. Justin caught his eye and laughed.

"Shouldn't you be smacking him for that?" Michael asked.

"No. I agree. If you spend all of your time together eventually problems are going to arise. It's best to have some downtime."

"That's very wise," Ben said.

"You know what? Who cares what anyone else thinks of us, we have just as much right to be here as everybody else. I say we go show these pansies how it's done." Brian grabbed Justin's hand and led him through the crowd to the center of the dance floor. The others followed behind them and when a good song started to play, they moved to the music.

"I've missed this," Ted admitted. "I forgot how much fun we used to have here."

"That's because you've been too busy getting your dick sucked," Brian shot back. Blake blushed but couldn't hold back a smile.

"What's your excuse?" Emmett asked Brian.

"Do I need one?" Brian retorted.

When the song ended, they all went back to bar to get more drinks. "Let's make a toast," Michael suggested.

"To what?" Brian asked. "Fags forever? Come on, Mikey. Don't be so pathetic."

"No. A toast to our friendship. That no matter what happens, we'll always be friends."

"I like that," Justin said, smiling.

"You would," Brian mumbled.

"We could do that." Emmett ordered another drink.

"Since we've all been in our own little worlds lately, this will... I don't know, remind us that our friendship is important to us," Michael continued. "And that no matter what, we'll always be friends."

"Well said," Ben complimented him.

"Thanks." Michael smiled and raised his drink up in the air.

Hesitantly, Brian raised his, followed by Justin, Ted, Emmett, Ben, Blake, and Calvin. "Friends," he said.

"Friends," the other repeated in tandem, clinking their beer bottles together and taking a drink.

"Okay, now that that's done, I say we go dance some more," Brian suggested. "I'm losing my hard on."

"I second that," Michael replied.

"Or," Justin suggested, "We could go pay a visit to the back room." Brian grinned.

"That could be arranged," Brian replied, wrapping his arm around and Justin and leading him off toward the back room.

"Some things never change," Ted commented wryly.

"Thank God!" Michael replied. Laughing, they went back to the dance floor.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Melanie and JR come back to Pittsburgh. Mel and Linz pay a visit to their old house. Michael finally gets to see JR again.


	44. Memory Lane

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **With the summer off, Lindsay brought Gus back to Pittsburgh to visit with Brian and Justin.

Melanie, having to work, decided to join Lindsay that weekend.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Three

Friday afternoon, Lindsay picked Melanie and the baby up at the airport. "God, I missed you," she sighed as Melanie held her tightly. They shared a quick, loving kiss. A couple of people stared, but Lindsay ignored them.

When they got out to the parking lot, Melanie froze in her tracks. "Jesus Christ!" she exclaimed, her mouth dropping open. "A fucking Porsche!"

"Brian rented it for me," Lindsay explained. "He wanted Gus and I to drive in style."

"Mission accomplished," Melanie muttered, looking the car over. "I have wanted one of these since I was old enough to know what a Porsche was."

"Do you want to drive?" Lindsay held out the keys.

"Really?" Melanie's heart began to race with excitement. Finally, she'd get to drive her dream car. Could her life get any better?

"It's all yours." Linz handed her the keys and got into the passenger seat.

"You have no idea how much I love both you and Brian right now," Mel joked, getting into the driver's seat.

After firing the engine up, she pulled out of the parking lot. "This thing handles like a dream," she noted, smiling. A thought came to her. "Hey, Linz?"

"What?" Lindsay looked over at Melanie.

"I just had a great idea. How about we drop JR off with Michael and go by the house, for old times' sake?"

"Sure." Lindsay brightened at the idea. "I wonder how different it looks."

"We'll find out."

When they pulled up outside of their old house, both Melanie and Lindsay hesitated. The house looked the same as it had when they'd lived in it. Holding hands, they got out of the car and walked across the street to the front door. Melanie rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, the front door opened. "Can I help you girls?" an elderly woman asked, with a bright smile.

Melanie and Lindsay exchanged smiles. "Hi, I'm Lindsay Peterson and this is Melanie Marcus, we used to live here," Linz explained.

"Would you like to come in?" the woman offered. "I just made some tea and cookies."

"We'd love to, thank you," Mel answered, following the woman into the house.

Everything appeared to be pretty much the same as it had been before. Now, walking through the once familiar house, both women remembered all of the happy times they'd shared there. The woman came out of the kitchen with a tray full of cookies and three cups of tea. "Here you go girls," she said happily, setting the tray down on the ottoman.

"Thank you," Melanie said, taking a cup of tea.

"I'm sorry, we didn't get your name," Lindsay said looking at the woman.

"Oh, silly me. I'm Carol Harper."

"It's lovely to meet you." Lindsay shook Carol's hand.

"So, you used to live here?" Carol asked, biting into a cookie.

"Yeah, we left this past winter."

"Oh, I remember now. You're the ones I bought the house from, right?"

"That's us," Melanie confirmed.

Carol laughed with delight. "I couldn't believe that you were selling such a beautiful house."

"We felt it would be best for our children if we left," Lindsay explained.

"Why's that?" Carol inquired, knitting her brows. "If you don't mind my asking."

"Do you remember Proposition Fourteen?" Melanie asked.

"That one that wanted to take away gay rights?"

"That's the one. Well the Stop Prop. Fourteen group held a fund raiser at a local gay club and that night, some one set off a bomb." Melanie's voice grew hard at the memory. She was grateful everyday for the fact that she and Lindsay had been late or else Gus and JR would have lost both of their mothers. A lump formed in her throat and she swallowed past it.

"I remember hearing about that. It was awful! How on Earth did you two manage to get out of there alive?"

"We weren't in the building when the bomb went off," Lindsay explained.

"Thank Heavens for that."

"Yeah. And after that, we just decided that we didn't want our kids to have to live somewhere where they would be mistreated because of our sexual orientation."

"It's a shame, really it is. You know what I say? Marriage is marriage no matter who it's between."

"If only more people felt like you do." Lindsay sipped her tea. "Maybe then we wouldn't have to feel unwanted in our own country."

"My grandson," Carol explained, "is gay."

"Oh."

"In fact, he would've been there that night if he hadn't had to work."

"Wow, that's incredibly lucky for him."

"Yes, we were all very thankful. I would've gone, but my husband and I were on a cruise for our anniversary."

"That's lovely. Is your husband here?" Lindsay asked

"No dear. Unfortunately, he passed away shortly after we bought this house, so it's just me." Carol smiled despite the upsetting subject.

"We're very sorry."

She nodded her head. "Would you like to take a look through the rest of the house, see what's changed since you left?"

"Sure," Melanie replied, standing. "If you don't mind."

"Not at all, dear. Go ahead."

Mel and Linz went up the stairs and took a quick glance through the bedrooms –– not much and had changed there either –– and stopped in the attic that had once been Lindsay's studio. "Do you remember all the hassle we went through to put the sink in here?" Lindsay asked, smiling at the memory.

"Yeah. Leda was more trouble than she was worth," Melanie commented dryly. "Though the time you nearly flooded it up here was pretty funny."

Lindsay laughed. "That's the last time I try to install a sink. I'll leave it up to you next time."

"Who am I, Dyno Dyke?" They both burst out into uncontrollable laughter.

"Hey, do you think it would be okay if we stopped by to see Marie and the kids before we head home?"

"Sure. We haven't seen them since before we moved. God, we haven't even talked to Marie since Dusty's funeral." Melanie felt a guilty pang in her chest. _Some friends we are,_ she thought glumly. "Come on, let's go before Carol thinks we're robbing her or something."

Carol was still sitting in the living room, drinking her tea. "So, what did you think?" she asked.

"It's very lovely," Lindsay replied politely. Carol smiled.

"To be honest, I haven't changed much. I loved the way the house was when I got it. You two have very good taste."

"Thank you."

"Would you girls like to stay for dinner? I'm making stir fry."

"That's very kind of you, but we'd better be going. We have to drive to West Virginia still."

"Oh, is that where you live now?"

"No, actually we live in Toronto. My friend Brian lives in West Virginia with his partner. We're staying with him for the weekend," Linz explained.

"Wow, Canada. How far is that?"

"It's only about a forty-five minute flight. I know, I just flew in about an hour ago," Melanie answered. "Anyway, it was very nice meeting you. Thank you for letting us look around."

"It was my pleasure and it was lovely meeting you girls. Next time you're in town again, stop by, okay?"

"We will," Lindsay promised.

When they got back out to the car, Melanie laughed. "She was a character."

"Yes she was. I feel bad for her living here all by herself at her age."

"I'm sure she has someone to look after her. Maybe her grandson?"

"Maybe." Lindsay chewed her lip. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Saint Lindsay," Mel said lovingly. She pulled out her cell phone and called Marie. Marie was on her way home with the kids and told Mel to come on over. "We'll be right there," Melanie said, hanging up.

"I don't know how I'm going to feel seeing the kids again," Lindsay admitted. "I just feel so bad that they're growing up without one of their mommies."

"There's nothing we can do. Linz," Melanie pointed out. "Marie's doing the best she can. All we can do is be loving and supportive."

"Yeah." Lindsay noticed a bitter edge to her voice. "It makes me think about how different that night could've been. If I would've gone inside with Dusty instead of waiting for you to get your cell phone, Gus and Jenny Rebecca could be growing up without me." Tears clouded her vision and she quickly swiped at them.

"Hey. You can't think like that," Melanie cooed, holding Lindsay close. "You didn't die that night. I am thankful for that each and every day."

"Me, too. I thought I was over this," Lindsay admitted, cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"It isn't the kind of thing that you can just put behind you, Linz. It takes time."

They took a few minutes to pull themselves together. "We can't show up at the house crying," Melanie joked.

"Good idea." Lindsay laughed and wiped the tears off her cheeks. "Don't want to make a spectacle of ourselves."

When they parked in Marie's driveway, the youngest daughter, Maddie came to window and waved excitedly. Smiling, Melanie and Lindsay waved back. With a boost of joy, they made their way to the front porch.

* * *

When Michael found out that Melanie and the baby were flying in, he closed the comic shop just after lunch. He'd rushed home so that when Mel and Linz came by to drop off JR he'd be ready and waiting. Just the thought of seeing his daughter again made him ecstatic.

He bounced Jenny on his hip as he warmed up a bottle for her. "It's okay, honeybun. Daddy's here." Jenny was crying louder that Michael could have imagined possible and had been ever since Mel and Linds had left. "You miss your mommies, right? Don't worry. JR. You're safe." He grabbed the warm bottle and carried her over to the couch, putting the bottle in her mouth. As soon as she started to suck on the bottle, JR fell silent. "Thank you, God," Michael whispered. Her nap time was coming up and Michael was more than ready for a little break.

Michael sighed and closed his eyes for a second. _I forgot just how exhausting being a parent is,_ he thought. The front door opened and closed. "I'm home," Ben announced.

"In here," Michael replied, stroking the top of Jenny's head.

"Hey there, beautiful," Ben said, crouching down and tickling Jenny's stomach.

"Look, JR, it's Ben. Give him a smile, come on." He tried to coax her into smiling, but she was too involved in her bottle. "Maybe later."

"You look beat," Ben noted, gently massaging Michael's shoulders.

"That feels good," Michael moaned. "Don't stop."

Ben chuckled. "When are Mel and Linz coming to pick her up?" he asked.

"Sunday," Michael answered, stifling a yawn. "We have her all weekend."

"That's great! It's a good thing I set up that crib, huh?"

"Yeah. I just hope she isn't too scared tonight. She hasn't been here without Mel or Linz since she was an infant. That's probably why she's been crying so much."

"Give her time, she'll get used to you," Ben assured him, stroking his cheek lovingly.

"I just wish we had more time to together. By the time she gets used to it here, she'll be heading back home to Canada." He felt the familiar sadness start to flare up and immediately changed the subject. "So, how was work?"

"Same old, same old."

"Tell me about it."

The front door banged open. "Where is she!" Debbie demanded excitedly.

"Oh, no," Michael grumbled, rolling his eyes. _What's she doing here? I just got the baby calmed down!_

"Over here, Deb," Ben answered. Michael swatted his arm.

"Oh, what an angel!" Deb sat down next to Michael and stroked JR's arm. "She's even more beautiful than she was last time I saw her. She's going to be fucking gorgeous woman."

"Ma, can you keep it down? I'm trying to get her down for a nap," Michael hissed.

"Excuse me?" Debbie replied, her eyebrows raised.

Michael sighed. "Look I'm sorry. It's just that she's been crying nonstop since she got here and now that's she's actually settled down, I'd like to keep it that way."

"You were a fussy baby," Debbie recalled. "I was always so glad when you went down for you nap. It was the only time I could actually hear myself think."

"Apparently she takes after her father, then," Ben joked.

"Can you two please take it in the other room? She's almost asleep," Michael begged. If she didn't get her nap, then she'd be terrible for the rest of the night.

"Sure, honey," Deb said, leading Ben into the kitchen.

After she finished her bottle, Jenny fell asleep. Michael decided that rather than risk waking her up by moving her to the crib right away, he'd sit with her for awhile on the couch before moving her. Proudly, he looked down at his daughter's sleeping face. "I love you," he whispered, gently bringing her hands up to his lips and kissing them. "You're the most important thing in my life, always remember that." Jenny stirred a little at the sound of his voice but didn't fully wake up.

Carefully, Michael rose and carried the baby upstairs to his bedroom. He set her down in the crib and turned on the baby monitor. He grabbed the other monitor and slipped in into his pocket. At the door, he hesitated. How many opportunities would he get to watch her sleep like this? Quietly, he walked back to the crip and pulled up a chair so that he could sit next to her and watch her sleep. _She really is an angel_, he thought. _My angel_. After a few minutes, his eyelids began to grow heavy. I better get up before I fall asleep right here. With one last look back at his baby, he shut the door and went back downstairs.

Debbie and Ben were in the kitchen making dinner. "You're staying for dinner?" Michael asked.

"It's family dinner tonight, remember?" Debbie answered. He'd completely forgotten; as soon as he saw Jenny Rebecca, everything else had just slipped away. "Besides, my granddaughter's here, you don't think I'm going to leave now, do you?"

"Of course not," Michael replied. "So, is there anything I can do to help?"

"The corn needs shucking," Debbie said, laughing. "Shucking," she repeated. Ben laughed to be polite.

"I get it," Michael mumbled. "My sense of humor is on vacation today."

"Is being a daddy wearing you out?" Deb asked with mock sympathy.

"Yeah. I can't remember the last time I was this tired."

"Just wait until she starts walking, that's when the trouble really starts."

"I'm glad we skipped all that with Hunter," Ben said.

"Yeah, lucky you. You just got to deal with the teenage years. They're worse than the terrible two's."

Michael stopped shucking the corn. "How would you know? I wasn't a bad teenager."

"No you weren't, thank God. Somehow Brian never rubbed off on you too much."

"He wasn't all that bad either. So we cut class a few times and smoked some pot, like you never did that when you that age?"

"Sure I did. Christ, I was pregnant at seventeen! But that doesn't mean I wanted you to do it, too!"

"I guess that's a part of parenting," Ben cut in. "Back when Hunter first came to us, he smoked pot a little and I didn't like it. Not to mention the fact that he was a hustler."

"Speaking of Hunter, where is he?" Michael asked, realizing for the first time that Hunter should've been home an hour ago.

"He went out on a date with his girlfriend," Debbie answered.

"Did you meet her?"

"Briefly. She seemed like a sweet girl."

"She is."

"Then, why do act like she's bad news?"

"I don't know," Michael admitted. "It's probably just because after what happened with Callie..."

"He deserves to be happy," Ben said. "If Lexi makes him happy, then what can we do but give him our support?"

"I agree. It isn't even that I don't like her. I just don't want him dating."

Debbie laughed. "Just wait until JR starts dating, boy are you two in for some fun."

"She's going to hate us," Ben joked. "She'll have four parents watching out for her."

"Thank God we have another thirteen years or so before we need to start worrying about that."

"It flies by, trust me," Deb assured him. "One minute your kid's a baby, the next they're moving out on their own."

"Kids may grow up and move out their own, but they never stop needing or loving their parents," Michael said meaningfully. Debbie smiled and hugged him tightly.

Before the conversation could continue, Michael heard JR crying through the baby monitor. "Back to work," he said, rushing upstairs. He picked JR up and went back down to the kitchen. "Come on, honeybun. Daddy's going to teach you how to cook." Looking at the baby's face, Michael couldn't help but notice that a small smile lit up her face.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin have fun with the horse.


	45. Horseback Riding

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Melanie and Lindsay came back home to pay a visit.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Four

Brian awoke before the sun had risen. Slowly, he looked over at Justin's sleeping form. His breathing was steady, his chest rising and falling evenly. Careful not to wake him, Brian got out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. He decided to leave the light off; he wasn't ready to be blinded. He turned the shower on, slipped out of his underwear, and stepped into the shower.

The hot water helped clear his mind. They had all stayed up too late the previous night drinking and even though he really wanted to go back to sleep for a few more hours, he forced himself to stay awake. Justin's going to love this, he thought with a confident smile. While he was in the bathroom, he shaved and brushed his teeth, making sure that everything that needed to be done was done.

When he reentered the bedroom, Justin had rolled over onto Brian's side of the bed and was clutching his pillow tightly to his chest. Smiling, Brian sat down beside Justin and softly ran a finger down his cheek. Justin stirred slightly but didn't awaken. _Let's try something a little more exciting,_ Brian decided, reaching down and grabbing Justin's bulge with one hand while kissing his neck. Slowly, Justin woke up. "What time is it?" he mumbled, eyes half open.

"Five thirty," Brian whispered. "Time to get up."

"Why?" Justin asked, pulling the blankets closer to him. "It's freezing."

"Come on, I have something to show you."

"It can't wait until later?" Brian arched his eyebrow. Sighing, Justin sat up.

Brian threw him a long sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans. "Get dressed. I'll meet you downstairs." A few minutes later –– fully dressed –– Justin came down the stairs, yawning. "So what's so important?" he asked quietly. Melanie, Lindsay, and Gus were still asleep.

"You'll see," Brian replied with a cocky smirk. He grabbed Justin's hand and led him out the back door and down the path the stables. The sky was still black and Justin could see dew drops on the ground, reflecting off of the moon's glow. He was still cold despite his long sleeves and light jacket. _Thank God it isn't winter anymore._

"You got me up before dawn so we could fuck in the stables?" Justin asked, rolling his eyes.

"Not exactly. Just relax, you're going to love this, I promise."

They went into the stables and Brian led the golden horse out of its stall, putting a saddle on and fitting the bridle over the horse's snout. Swiftly, he climbed up into the saddle and reached a hand down for Justin. "Come on," he urged, smiling reassuringly.

"I don't know..." Justin began, licking his lips nervously.

"Would I ever let anything bad happen to you?" Brian asked, still holding his hand out.

"No," Justin answered. With a sigh, he grabbed Brian's hand and allowed himself to be pulled up into the saddle in front of Brian.

"See, this isn't so bad, is it?"

"We aren't moving," Justin shot back.

"Not yet," Brian agreed as he dug his heels into the horse's side, urging it into a slow trot. Justin hadn't seen the rest of the property yet, but Brian had told him that they owned a fair amount of land behind the house, leading out to the woods.

The horse continued it slow pace until they were well out of the backyard and in a meadow. "This is beautiful," Justin whispered, looking over the expanse of land. Maybe I could come out here and paint sometime, it would be a great inspiration for a landscape painting.

"It gets better," Brian promised, urging the horse to pick up the pace.

"Wait," Justin said, grasping the reigns tightly.

"It's okay, I've got you," Brian whispered in Justin's ear. He could feel that Brian did have his arms wrapped tightly around his waist and still had a firm grasp on the reigns. Justin nodded and the horse broke out into a quick gallop.

Looking down, Justin noticed that the ground was whipping past. It's a good thing I don't suffer from motion sickness, he thought, raising his eyes once more. His heart was beating almost as hard as he imagined the horse's was, but he found comfort in Brian's arms. "How are you liking it?" Brian asked.

"It's okay," Justin answered. To be honest, it wasn't as bad as he'd thought it would be. Thankfully.

"I told you."

"Yeah, you did."

As the horse continued to gallop through the meadow, Justin started to feel something digging into his back. Using his imagination, he ascertained that it was an erection. _All this rocking around's got me excited, too_, he thought, reaching back and stroking Brian's cock through his jeans. A quiet moan escaped Brian's lips and Justin took that to mean that he wanted him to continue. Unfastening the zipper on Brian's pants, Justin reached into open zipper and continued to rub it just the way Brian liked. After a few minutes of this, Justin pulled his hand away. Task completed.

Abruptly, Brian pulled on the horse's reigns, causing it to stop in it's tracks. Swinging down to the ground, he helped Justin step down and then reached into the saddlebag fastened to the side of the saddle. He pulled out a blanket, some condoms, and a tube of KY lube. "I should've known," Justin said, laughing. Brian looped the reigns through a tree branch and knotted them so the horse wouldn't wander off.

"Like you didn't?" Brian asked, giving Justin a crooked smile.

"I had hoped it was something romantic," Justin teased, shrugging.

"You know how I feel about romance," Brian replied, rolling his eyes.

"Come on Brian," Justin continued. "You can't fool me. We both know that you've gone soft."

"Oh really?" Quirking his eyebrow, Brian grabbed Justin's hand and lowered it to the erection bursting to be released from his tight jeans. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that I'm rather hard."

"I guess so." Justin grinned.

Brian laid the blanket down and spread it around so that they would be protected from the dew covered grass. He motioned for Justin to sit down next to him. "So, how did you enjoy your first horse ride?"

"It was all right," Justin admitted. "Definitely not as bad as I thought it would be."

"I knew you'd enjoy it once we got going."

"You make it sound sexual." Justin picked at the grass.

"I make everything sound sexual," Brian corrected him.

They looked into each other's eyes and started to kiss. Gently, Brian pushed Justin down onto the blanket and started unbuttoning his shirt. The ride must have taken longer than Justin thought it had because behind Brian, he could see the sun slowly rising in the east. _That'll help keep us warm until we get going,_ he thought as Brian pulled his shirt off and started rubbing the naked flesh of his chest. When all of their clothes were off, Brian went through the protection routine before sliding into Justin.

Justin grabbed tufts of Brian's hair in his hands and gently tugged on them. Brian responded by biting the inside of Justin's lip, almost hard enough to draw blood. Their tongues danced around each other in a lovers' tango. As Brian increased his speed, they both moaned loudly; it felt good to be able to be as loud as they wanted without worrying about waking Gus. The pleasure continued to rise and Justin curled up his toes in anticipation.

Brian moved his hips even faster and buried his face in the side of Justin's neck, tasting the sweat that was breaking out there. Emitting the loudest moan yet, they both climaxed. Brian collapsed onto Justin's chest and Justin wrapped his arms around him, never wanting to let him go. Breathing in Brian's scent, Justin drifted off to sleep.

He awoke a short time later, glad to find that Brian was laying next to him, head propped up in one hand. "We should probably get going," he said. "Before the dykes wonder where we went to."

"Yeah, cause they won't figure it out," Justin noted sarcastically.

"Did you just get smart with me?" Brian asked, wadding his shirt up and whipping it at Justin.

"No!" Justin screamed, laughing uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear what you said. Can you repeat it?" Brian whipped him again, laughing almost as hard as Justin.

In response, Justin pulled Brian on top of him, kissing him intensely. He felt the familiar stiffness in his nether region and the one poking into his thigh. He started to move his head down to Brian's lap. "No," Brian ordered, pulling his head away.

"No?" Justin asked, his mouth open in shock. The last time Brian had said something so out of character they had called their wedding off. Justin braced himself for some bad news.

"We need to be getting back," Brian reminded him. "This can wait till tonight."

"Okay." Justin tried to sound disappointed, but more than anything he was grateful that that was the reason Brian was denying him.

Brian folded the blanket up and returned it to the saddlebag. He hoisted himself up into the saddle and once again reached down for Justin. "I want to do it," Justin said, waving Brian's hand off.

"Have it your way," Brian replied, putting his hands back at his sides. Justin got one foot into the stirrup and swung up in front of Brian.

"How'd I do?" he asked, smiling proudly.

"Not bad." Brian smiled proudly.

The ride back to the house didn't take as long as the trip out had seemed to. By the time they were back in the stables, the sun had fully risen and the sky was alight. This was definitely worth losing sleep over, Justin thought contentedly. Brian led the horse back into its stall and then closed the door, placing the saddle and bridle on a nearby shelf. Arms around each other, they made their way back into the house.

Melanie, Lindsay, and Gus were sitting at the kitchen table eating. "Hi Daddy," Gus said, smiling up at Brian.

"Hey Sonny Boy," Brian replied, planting a kiss on Gus's forehead.

"Where did you two go?" Melanie asked, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"Out," Brian replied noncommittally.

"We went horseback riding," Justin answered, shooting Brian a grin.

"Yeah, I'll bet." Melanie hid her smile behind her cup of coffee.

"I made breakfast," Lindsay interjected before anything more could be said on the matter. "There's some waiting for you in the kitchen if you want it."

"Thanks dear," Brian said facetiously, kissing Lindsay's cheek, hoping to get a rise out of Melanie. Unfortunately for Brian, she didn't rise to the bait. He and Justin went into the kitchen to get their food.

When they came back into the dining room, Brian took the seat next to Gus and Justin sat next to Brian. "I'm starved," Justin admitted. "That's one of the reasons I hate waking up too early."

"You'll survive. Besides, I thought I already gave you a high protein breakfast?" Brian smiled devilishly as Melanie dropped the egg she was about to eat and scrunched her face up in disgust. Lindsay rolled her eyes but couldn't hold back a smile. One of things that she loved most about Brian was his sense of humor and his crassness, there was no one else she knew who could match Brian's wit; he was one of a kind.

Taking a deep breath, Justin decided to change the subject. "So, what do you have planned for today?" he asked the girls.

"I was hoping to go see Ted," Melanie answered, "I feel bad that I wasn't here for his wedding."

"That sounds nice," Justin said.

"And I think we should stop by Michael's and see how the baby's doing."

"You must miss her, huh?"

"Are you kidding?" Melanie laughed. "I love my daughter, but I need a break. Believe me, you'll understand once the baby gets here. Alone time is a godsend." Mel and Linds exchanged knowing smiles. Luckily, Gus was not paying them any attention. He still didn't know that he would soon be getting a new brother or sister.

"Were you planning on taking Gus?" Brian asked, rising from the table.

"I hadn't really thought about it," Melanie admitted. "Why, do you have plans?"

Brian glared at her for a long second. "I thought we'd go clothes shopping together. He's going to need some new clothes if he's staying here all summer. While we're out, why not go see a movie or something?"

"You can have him," Lindsay answered. "I'm sure Ted won't mind if he gets to see just the two of us. He's got all summer to see Gus if he wants to."

"What about me?" Justin asked. Brian hadn't included him in on his plans with Gus.

"You're coming with us," Brian replied. "Family shopping trip. You need some new clothes, too, you're underwear are getting a little small." Justin felt his face get hot and knew that he was blushing.

"I'm going to go do the dishes," he said, hurrying out of the room. Brian laughed and gave Gus a high five.

"You're going to pay for that later," Melanie warned.

"What?" Brian asked, laughing. "He knows I was just joking." He knew that Justin wouldn't be offended.

"If you think so." Melanie drew in a sharp breath.

Brian followed Justin into the kitchen where he was slowly washing the dishes. "Those dykes are getting on my nerves," he said, chewing his lip.

"You know that's not true," Justin replied. "You love having them here. It gives you something to bitch about." He turned and gave Brian a smile.

"Don't be twat." Brian couldn't keep the truth out of his voice.

"Okay." Justin laughed.

"They said that you were going to be pissed about what I said out there." Brian laughed at the thought. "Mel needs a sense of humor."

"Well luckily you don't have to worry about that with me, I know how your sense of humor is. It takes a lot to embarrass me." Justin blew soap bubbles at Brian innocently. "Can you finish here? If we're going out I'd like to take a shower...unless you'd care to join me?"

Brian grinned. "Sure." He started for the door. "You coming?" he asked.

"I'll be right up," Justin promised. "Go get the shower warmed up." Brian nodded and walked back through the dining room.

"Hot date?" Melanie asked sarcastically.

"I need to take a shower, I stink," Brian replied, running up the stairs. When he got into the bathroom, Brian stripped off his clothes and got into the shower, turning the water on as hot as he could stand it. Right away the heat caused the glass of the shower walls to fog up.

The shower was so loud that Brian didn't hear Justin come in. Suddenly, he felt hands rubbing his back. Smiling, he whirled around and froze. Standing before him, completely naked, was not Justin, but Melanie. "Hi honey," she said sweetly, purposely keeping her eyes at the level of Brian's. Brian was never really one for embarrassment, and this moment would be no different.

"Smelly Melly, it's about time you washed that rank twat of yours," he said evilly. Melanie scoffed and rolled her eyes. Turning the water off, Brian stalked out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist.

Opening the door that led back into the bedroom, he spotted Justin sitting casually on the bed, trying not to laugh. "Okay, you got me," Brian grumbled, sitting down next to Justin.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself," Justin replied.

"I deserved it."

"Damn right," Melanie said as she emerged from the bathroom, a bathrobe covering her body.

"Thanks Mel." Justin smiled at her.

"You owe me."

"I know."

"Big time." Mel walked out of the room and shut the door behind her.

Justin leaned forward so that his face was next to Brian's. "So..." he began.

"So..." Brian replied, looking him in the eyes.

"I still need that shower," Justin reminded him.

"Oh no," Brian said, standing up, "I'm not falling for that again. Besides, if I see one more pair of tits or a snatch today and I won't be able to eat for the next month. How did you get Melanie to do that anyway? Usually she's so square."

Justin grinned sheepishly. "I had to promise that if the baby's a girl, her middle name with be Melanie."

"Great," Brian frowned. "A dyke name."

"Melanie is not a dyke name," Justin argued. "There are plenty of straight women in the world with that name."

"Like who?"

"I have a cousin named Melanie who's married and has three kids."

"She's probably a closeted dyke then."

"Whatever." Justin laughed. "So how about that shower? I'll go in first."

"All right," Brian relented, leading the way into the bathroom. "But if you pull any more jokes on me, I'm outta here."

"I promise."

They got into the shower and Brian once again turned the water on. _The water bill's definitely going to go up this month_, he thought, but all thoughts of bills left his mind when Justin's clothes came off. He threw them out onto the bathroom floor before turning once again to face Brian. "Do my back?" he asked, pouting out his bottom lip.

"I'll do more than your back," Brian replied with an evil grin.

Some time later, they both got out of the shower, feeling refreshed. "So, do you think Mel and Linds are freaking out yet?" Justin asked as he dried himself off.

"Why?" Brian asked. He checked himself out in the mirror, flattening a tuft of wayward hair.

"We have been up here for quite a long time," Justin pointed out.

"I'm sure they knew all along what we were planning on doing. Even if they didn't, does it matter?"

"I guess not."

"Like we didn't know that was going on in Lindsay's room her first night here? I could hear her moaning all the way down in my office."

"At least she's not a screamer."

"Oh really?" Brian challenged.

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

"When she and I fucked around in college I remember her screaming quite a bit."

"Okay, I get your point." Justin wasn't jealous but he didn't exactly want to hear it either.

Justin hurried to get ready so that they could beat Saturday traffic back to Pittsburgh. Lindsay had gotten Gus dressed and Brian had once again switched cars with her. "Let's go," Brian said, picking Gus up and carrying him out to the car. Happily, Justin followed.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Melanie and Lindsay spend time with Ted and Emmett. Michael and Ben enjoy time with Jenny Rebecca.


	46. Ladies' Luncheon

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Mel and Linz returned to Pittsburgh for a visit.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Five

Mel and Linz had arranged to meet Ted and Blake at a Chinese restaurant near the boys' apartment. By the time they made the drive to Pittsburgh, Melanie and Lindsay were ten minutes late. "We're so sorry," Lindsay said when they were led to the table by their waiter. "Traffic was a nightmare."

"It's okay, you're not that late," Ted replied, giving both Lindsay and Melanie a peck on the cheek before sitting back down. Since Blake and the girls didn't know each other too well, they just exchanged handshakes and smiles. "So how've you been?" Ted asked. "How are things up north?"

"Great," Melanie answered. "It's not Pittsburgh but it isn't all that bad. It would feel a lot more like home if all our friends were there." She winked at Ted.

"Oh, no thank you. I'm perfectly content to stay here in Pittsburgh.I've been to Canada; too cold for me."

"Too cold for you?" Mel laughed. "The weather isn't all that different than it is here, Ted."

"It felt different when I was there," Ted continued, shrugging.

"How are you enjoying your stay at Britin Manor?"

Melanie smiled. "It's a barrel of laughs," she replied. "I'm half tempted to move in. The place is a goddamn castle."

"He could probably fit all of us in there," Ted agreed. "Of course, then we'd have to listen to him and Justin fucking at all hours of the night."

"Good point, on second thought I think I'll keep my house." Everyone at the table laughed. "I've missed this," Mel admitted.

"What? Laughing at Brian and Justin's expense?" Ted asked.

"No, hanging out with you. We never really talk anymore." Mel and Ted had been good friends ever since they'd met, with the minor exception of the time when he'd been hooked on crystal meth that he'd stolen some of the Gus's college money, but that was all in the past.

Ted nodded his head understandingly. "I'm sorry about that," he said. "I've been meaning to call you and catch up, it's just that since the wedding..."

"The wedding we weren't invited to," Melanie interrupted, a fiendish smile on her face." "I'm sorry about that, too." Ted guiltily cast his eyes downward.

"Why didn't you invite us?" Lindsay asked.

"You knew we would have come," Melanie continued.

"Yeah. I just...didn't want you to make a special trip just for me. It was only a few weeks after Brian and Justin's wedding and…"

"We don't care! And it wouldn't have just been for you, it would've been for Emmett, too."

"You're right, I was a shit," Ted laughed. "I'm sorry."

"Yes you were, but you know what? We still love you."

"Thanks." Ted blushed. "Now, can we quit with the guilt thing? This is the only time we're going to see each other before you go home, so let's enjoy it."

Melanie frowned. "It feels like I just got here. Oh yeah, I just did." She laughed at her joke.

"Who knows when you'll be back," Ted grumbled.

"Actually, we'll be back for the Fourth of July," Lindsay answered.

"Really? Of all the holidays to come back for, why choose the Fourth of July?"

"Deb would kill us we didn't," Mel explained. "Before we moved she made us promise to come home for every holiday."

"Every holiday?"

"Well, I'm sure we're exempt from President's Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day." They all laughed again.

"Too bad you guys couldn't just stay for the whole summer."

"Unfortunately, my firm doesn't give us the whole summer off, I should've been a teacher like Linz."

Lindsay shrugged. "I'm sorry honey, if I could give you the whole summer off I would." "What are you going to do all summer home alone?" Ted asked Lindsay.

"I don't have the summer off," she admitted. "In Canada, school goes year-round. So I only get a few days off here and there for holidays and then a bit at the end of summer."

"That's gotta suck."

"A little." She shrugged. "But being around all those young artists is making me want to take up painting again."

"It's about time," Mel chastised. "I can' t remember the last time I saw you so much as sketch something."

"I draw while I'm at work," Linz defended herself. "I have to have examples to show the kids."

"I meant for fun."

"I'll tell you what. When we get home, I'll draw you. Does that satisfy you?"

"Immensely." Melanie gave Lindsay a quick kiss.

Up until then, Blake had quietly sat back and enjoyed his food. "You two are so amazing," he said. Ted, Lindsay, and Melanie all turned to look at him as if they'd forgotten he was there.

"Thank you," Lindsay said with a friendly smile. "Ted tells us that you're a drug counselor now?"

"Yeah, I work at a rehab clinic. After I got clean, I figured that I could share what I'd learned from Ted with other people who were suffering like I was."

"That's incredible. You must love your job."

"I do. I love helping people and working with recovering addicts fulfills me in a way that no other job could."

"It's the same way with my teaching," Lindsay admitted. "My parents wanted me to be a doctor or something that made lots of money, but I've always had a passion for art and teaching. I couldn't live with myself if I gave up on that."

"I've always had a passion for accounting," Ted interjected. "That's probably one of the reasons no one at Babylon ever wanted to fuck me."

"It's a good thing I like numbers," Blake said with a shy smile.

Melanie and Lindsay chuckled. "You two look so happy," Melanie noted.

"We are," Ted and Blake said in unison. They laughed.

"Well, if you ever change your mind and want to get away for a weekend, you could always come visit us in Canada," Mel offered.

"We might just take you up on that," Blake replied. "Ted can't complain about the cold, it's summer."

"Very funny," Ted grumbled.

After lunch, they went back to Ted and Blake's condo. Ted had lived there for as long as any of them could remember. "I've been talking to him about renting a house or something," Blake whispered to Mel and Linz while Ted was pouring them wine in the kitchen. "I mean, this place is great and all, but with two people living here it gets a little cramped. You know how it is."

"Do we ever," Melanie agreed. "What does Ted say about it?"

"Not much. He's an accountant, of course he's crunching all the numbers trying to see if we can even afford a bigger place."

"What about the extra money coming in from the club?" Lindsay asked. "That should help a little, right?"

"It was, but he's got manager to run the place so he wouldn't have to go in all the time." "Oh." Lindsay frowned. "Didn't he get Madonna to play at the club?"

"Yes!" Blake smiled broadly. "She was amazing, you guys should've been there. It was quite a night."

"I bet," Mel said. "She must've brought in every dyke and queer in Pittsburgh."

"She did," Ted assured her, coming in from the kitchen with four wine glasses. "I've never seen Babylon so packed in all my life."

They talked for awhile about everything major that had gone on in their lives since Brian and Justin's wedding. "You know who we haven't seen yet since we've been here?" Melanie asked. She was getting a little tipsy from the wine.

"Who?" Ted inquired.

"Emmett."

"Really? Your chances of seeing him were better than the chances of seeing me." At Mel and Linz's questioning looks, he elaborated. "Since the wedding, Blake and I haven't spent a lot of time outside the apartment. Until last week, I hadn't seen anyone but Brian in over a month."

"Wow, you must really be enjoying married life."

"We are."

"Maybe we should call him, invite him over," Lindsay suggested. "Have a ladies' luncheon."

"Go for it," Ted replied. "The more the merrier. Have him bring over some more wine."

Emmett picked up on the third ring. "Why Ms. Marcus is that you?" he asked in a southern drawl.

"Why, yes it is. We're at Ted's. Get your ass down here," Melanie ordered. "And bring some wine. Or else."

"I'll be right there," Emmett promised, hanging up.

"Is he coming?" Ted asked hopefully.

"He's on his way," Mel replied. "I think the threat was what convinced him." She chuckled and sipped some more wine.

"How much has she had to drink?" Ted murmured to Lindsay.

"Enough apparently," Lindsay answered.

"I haven't seen her this drunk since Michael's thirtieth birthday party. "Oh God, that night was horrible." Lindsay shivered at the memory. Not long after the party, she and Mel and split up for the first time.

"Bad memory?" Ted asked, noticing that the smile was gone from Linz's face.

"Yeah," she admitted.

True to his word, Emmett showed up within twenty minutes. "Great to see you!" Mel threw her arms around Emmett and cackled.

"You, too, sweetie." Emmett gave Lindsay a questioning look; she shrugged in response.

"Is this the new man?" Melanie continued, smiling at Calvin.

"Yes. Melanie, Lindsay, this is my lovely husband Calvin." Emmett nodded at Mel and Linz. "Calvin, these are my friends Melanie and Lindsay."

"It's nice to meet you," Calvin said politely, pumping Melanie's proffered hand.

"I'm not usually this drunk," Melanie admitted, laughing.

Emmett led Calvin over to the sofa where Lindsay was sitting. Linz and Calvin shook hands. "It's so nice to finally meet you," Lindsay said. "Emmett talks about you all the time."

"You, too." Calvin smiled kindly. "I've heard a whole lot about the two of you," he gestured at Melanie, "and your kids. Are they here?"

"No, they're with their dads," Lindsay answered. "Do you like kids?"

"I don't mind them, as long as they go home after a couple of hours," Calvin admitted with a sheepish grin.

"I used to feel the same way. Give it time."

Calvin shook his head. "No kids for me," he said. "Emmett and I talked about it and we've decided not to have kids."

"I understand," Lindsay nodded. "Kids aren't for everyone. Melanie started to laugh uncontrollably about something Ted had said and Lindsay chewed her lip. "It's a good thing I've only had one glass," she said. "I get to drive us all the way back to Brian's in horrible traffic. Lucky me." Emmett reached over and stroked her arm comfortingly.

* * *

Jenny had calmed down after her first night with Michael and Ben. When she woke up the next morning, she wasn't nearly as fussy as she'd been the day before and when Michael picked her up in his arms and held her close, she smiled.

"She recognizes me!" Michael exclaimed to Ben, barely containing his smile.

"That's great! You know, they say that babies recognize people by their scent," supplied Ben.

"Well as long as she remembers me..."

"She does," Ben assured him. "She's been around you enough to know who you are."

"Too bad we couldn't keep her for the summer," Michael grumbled. "Of course, then we'd have to hire a nanny or something and I couldn't do that. What's the point of having your kid for the summer if you aren't going to spend any time with them?"

"What's Brian going to do with Gus all summer?" Ben asked.

"I don't know," Michael admitted. "He can pretty much come and go from work as he pleases, and he's got Justin to help him."

Ben nodded. "If I hadn't agreed to teach for the summer semester I'd offer to stay home."

"I don't know if Mel and Linz would go for it. Technically I don't get to have her for extended periods of time until she's four," Michael reminded him. "But, thanks anyway."

"No problem." Ben gave him a soft kiss. "Do you want to invite them over for dinner?" "Who? Mel and Linz?"

"Yeah." Ben laughed. "Who else?"

"We could give it a try, I don't know if they'd want to drive all the way here." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Melanie's number.

"Hello?" Melanie sounded giddy.

"Hey Mel, it's Michael.

"Hi, Michael!" She giggled.

"Is everything okay?" Usually Mel wasn't one to be quite so exuberant.

"Everything's great," she slurred. "We're having a blast!"

"Can I talk to Lindsay?" he asked. _Hopefully she's still normal_, he thought.

"Hello?" It was Lindsay's voice.

"Hey, Linz. Is everything all right?"

"Hi Michael. Yeah, everything's fine. Mel just had a little too much wine. Is everything okay with the baby?"

"Couldn't be better. Wow, I can't believe Mel's drunk, I haven't seen her like that since..." "Your thirtieth birthday party, I know." There was a bitterness in her voice.

"You two aren't fighting again, are you? I really don't want to have to go through this again." The last time Mel and Linz had separated, Mel, Linz, and Michael had all petitioned for custody of JR It was the only time that Michael could remember being at odds with Melanie and Lindsay.

Lindsay sighed. "No, we're great. I think she's just upset about leaving tomorrow, and she probably misses the baby."

"Well you guys can stop over here for dinner if you want," Michael offered. "If you don't mind making the drive."

"Actually, it's not that long of a drive. We're at Ted's," Lindsay explained.

"Jesus Christ, why didn't you say so?"

"We were planning on stopping by on the way home."

"Well we're about to start on dinner, come by in an hour or so, okay?"

"Sure. See you then."

"Bye."

Ben had been watching the exchange with mild interest. "What did they say?" he asked.

"They're at Ted's," Michael answered. "They'll be over in a bit."

"Did I hear you say that Melanie is drunk?" Ben asked.

"Yeah, imagine that, huh?" They both laughed.

"I bet she's hysterical when she's drunk," Ben said.

"Well, I don't know about hysterical, but she definitely lets her inhibitions go. My ma told me that once Melanie came up to her drunk and said that if she were lactating, it'd be margaritas."

"What?" Ben's mouth dropped open. "I can't picture her saying that."

"Me neither. She must've been really drunk." They laughed again.

"I wonder what she'll say this time."

"By the time they get here, her buzz will probably have worn off, I'm sure she won't be in the best of moods," Ben pointed out.

"Damn, I was really looking forward to it, too." He snapped his fingers in mock disappointment.

They headed into the kitchen. "I guess we'd better figure out what to make to eat if they're coming over," Ben said, opening the freezer. "No health food," Michael insisted. Let's have something normal, like spaghetti or something."

"Whatever you say," Ben replied. "If that's what you want, that's what you'll get."

"Thanks." Michael gave him a quick kiss. He sniffed the air and scrunched up his face. "What?" Ben asked.

"I think someone needs a diaper change." He looked down at JR "Who knew that babies went through so many diapers? Thank God Mel and Linz gave us a whole box when they dropped her off, otherwise we probably would've run out by now!"

While Ben started on dinner, Michael took care of JR and set the table. He wanted to enjoy every last minute he could with her before she went back home. Lindsay had told him that they would be back for the Fourth of July, so at least he knew that it wouldn't be too long before he saw the baby again.

Ben was right. When the girls showed up, Melanie was a little irritable. "My head hurts," she groaned, sitting on the couch. "Why did you let me drink all that shit?"" she asked Lindsay.

"I guess I didn't realize just how much you'd had until you were too far gone."

"Here," Michael gave Mel some Aspirin. "This should help."

"Thanks." Melanie took the tablets and washed them down with a glass of water. "Much better," she sighed, massaging her temples.

At the sight of her mommies, JR perked up even more. Melanie took the baby in her arms and held her. "Hey, beautiful. How are you? Did you miss me?" She kissed Jenny on the top of her head.

"I sure missed you," Michael assured her.

How's she been?" Mel asked him.

"Great. She was a little fussy yesterday, but that's understandable. Other than that, she's been the perfect little angel that she is."

"So she let you sleep all the way through the night?"

"Yeah." Michael smiled.

"You're lucky. She wakes me up at least three times a night. I'm surprised I still have enough energy to go into work each day."Just wait until she starts teething," Lindsay said, grimacing. "That's going to be tough."

When dinner was ready, they all sat down at the dinner table. Hunter was out with Lexi, so they used his chair for JR's booster seat. The spaghetti was passed around. "This is delicious!" Mel exclaimed. "Don't tell your mother Michael, but you can cook, too. Honestly, I don't know whose is better."

"Actually, Ben made it," Michael confessed. "But don't worry, I won't tell my mother."

After dinner they sat in the living catching up and playing with JR Even though they knew that by the same time the next day they'd be gone, Mel and Linz enjoyed themselves.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Mel and Linz return home. Brian and Justin begin their summer with Gus.


	47. Full Bed

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Melanie, Lindsay, and the kids paid a visit to their family in Pittsburgh.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Six

Another tearful goodbye. Lindsay and Melanie stood at the airport surrounded by their friends. They'd been surprised when they had walked into the airport and seen everyone. "What's going on?" Mel asked, laughing. Michael took JR from her arms.

"You didn't think we were going to let you slink away quietly, did you?" Deb replied.

"They were hoping," Brian muttered. Debbie smacked his arm. "Ow!" Justin laughed and got a playful ass slap from Brian.

"You can't get rid of us that easily," Emmett interjected.

"We wouldn't want to even if we could," Mel continued, her voice cracking. She gave Justin a hug. "Take care of yourself."

"You, too. Call us."

"Yeah, yeah." She laughed and turned to Brian. "I guess it's that time again."

"Yep."

"Well, now that we've both seen each other naked, it's safe to say we can hug." She wrapped her arms around him. Brian hesitantly returned the gesture. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" They both burst out into laughter.

Debbie made her way over to them. "It was great to see you, honey," she said to Mel.

"Yeah, it was. We had a great time," Melanie replied.

"Come here." Deb enveloped both Mel and Linds in a hug. "You get your asses back here pronto, you hear?"

"Yes ma'am," they said in unison.

"Good."

Michael handed JR back to Melanie, biting his lower lip to keep himself from crying. Ben put a soothing hand on his shoulder. "Be good," Michael whispered, giving his daughter a kiss on the cheek. "You, too," he said to Melanie, laughing.

"I promise." She hugged him and then moved on to Ben.

"Bye, Mel," Ben murmured in her ear. "We love you."

"Love you, too." Melanie couldn't hide the tears in her eyes.

Emmett and Ted were next. "Maybe we'll take you up on that offer sometime soon," Ted said to Melanie. "Blake and I could use a vacation. We didn't go anywhere for our honeymoon."

"Our house is always open. Come anytime."

"He plans to," Emmett murmured. Mel and Linz laughed.

"You can come, too, Emmett," Lindsay assured him. "It wouldn't be the same without you."

"Well then, I guess I'll have to now. I can't disappoint my fans. Even if they are lesbians." Everybody laughed.

Lindsay' turned to Brian and her eyes teared up. "I'm sorry." She wiped her eyes. "I know how you feel about crying."

"Yeah." Brian chuckled. "Well, take care of yourself."

"You, too. I'm going to miss you so much." She sniffled. "God, it's even harder to leave this time that it was the last two times!" They laughed. Tears rolled down Lindsay cheek. Brian reached up and gently wiped them away. They shared a secret smile before Lindsay knelt to say goodbye to Gus. "You be a good boy, okay Gus?"

"Uh huh," Gus replied. He didn't really understand what was going on, though he could tell that everyone was sad.

"Listen to your dad and Justin and call us anytime." Lindsay kissed the top of his head and fought back a fresh wave of tears. It was the first time that she'd ever been away from Gus for more than a weekend, and she was wholly unprepared for the sudden sadness that overtook her.

A voice over the intercom interrupted their goodbyes. "Flight one-four-seven to Toronto is now boarding."

"That's us," Melanie said, picking up her suitcase with one arm. Handing JR over to Lindsay, she walked over to Gus and kissed him. "I love you," she whispered. Gus started to cry as understanding dawned on him. "Oh, come here." Melanie held him tight, stroking his hair. "It's okay Gus. Before you know it, we'll be back." Mel and Linz exchanged guilty looks.

"Hey, Sonny Boy. Don't you want to spend your summer with your old man and Justin?" Brian asked, hoping to defuse the situation before it got worse.

"Yeah," Gus managed between sobs.

"Just think of all the fun the three of us are going to have," Justin added. "Riding the horses and painting your room."

"Okay." Melanie and Lindsay gave him one more hug each before he went and stood by Brian and Justin.

With one last wave at their friends, Mel and Linz went through the gate and boarded their plane. Gus started to cry even harder once his mothers were out of sight.

"Are you okay?" Justin asked Gus, kneeling down and handing him a tissue to blow his nose on.

"Yeah." He was still crying but he was trying to be brave.

"Come here, Sonny Boy." Brian picked Gus up and held him tightly to his chest.

"Poor kid, he's practically fucking traumatized," Deb muttered.

"I heard that," Brian shot back. He gave Debbie a wicked smile. "We'll see you guys later. Mikey, call me some time."

"I will," Michael replied, managing to smile despite feeling like his heart was being ripped out of his chest once more. Ben rubbed his shoulders comfortingly.

"Let's go," Debbie said, tears in her eyes. "Before I make an ass of myself." Brian laughed quietly to himself.

"Bye, guys." Justin took Brian's hand. "We'll see you later."

"Bye, Sunshine." Debbie joined Michael and Ben as they walked toward the exit, followed by Emmett and Ted.

Brian sighed and turned to look down at Gus. "Are you ready to have fun, Gus?" he asked, hoping to cheer him up. Gus nodded sadly and buried his face in Brian's chest. Justin gave Brian a sad smile and followed him out to the car. As they got buckled in, Mel and Linz's plane took off and they watched it soar overhead.

* * *

Gus was quiet all the way back to the house. At least he'd stopped crying. When they got home, Justin brought Gus up to his room. He'd gone to the store to buy the blue paint while they were at the mall the day before. "Hey, Gus, do you want to start painting your room today?" Justin asked. He'd intended to wait a few more days but figured that it would help get Gus out of his funk.

"Yeah," Gus answered, a small smile breaking out on his face.

With Brian's help, Justin moved the bed and dressers out of the room and lay down a large tarp so that if any paint dripped down onto the floor it wouldn't stain the hardwood.

"Here you go." Justin handed Gus a paintbrush. "Just dip it in the tray and then you're ready to go." Gus gave it a try and started to laugh. "This is fun," he said happily.

"Good. I told you it would be fun." Justin smiled and stepped out of the room for a minute to find Brian.

"How's he doing?" Brian asked, startling Justin as he came out of their bedroom.

"Great. He's having a riot."

Brian looked in on Gus and smiled. "Thanks for doing this."

"It's not a problem. I want him to want to be here. He's just as much a part of our family as the new baby will be."

"Yeah," Brian agreed with a proud smile. They were just about to kiss when Gus knocked the paint tray over, leaking paint all over the tarp.

"I'm sorry!" Gus exclaimed, turning the tray over and getting paint all over himself.

"It's okay," Justin assured him. "That's why we laid this down." He touched the tarp. "Accidents happen."

Brian laughed. "You two are going to need a bath by the time you finish this room."

"If you want to help too, we could all need a bath," Justin suggested, grinning.

"Painting's not really my thing," Brian confessed.

"Oh, come on. I'll teach you."

"I know how, I just don't do it."

"Well it's time you started."

"Fine," Brian sighed. "But first I need to change my clothes, I'm not wrecking my Gucci."

"Do you even have normal clothes?" Justin teased.

"I'll wear something from the gym." Brian came back a few minutes later in a black tank top and shorts. He picked up a paint roller. "Happy now?"

"Tremendously." Justin laughed and picked up the other roller.

With the three of them working, they finished the first layer in no time. While it was drying, Justin started on dinner. "The pot pies should take long enough that we can finish," he said after he'd put them in the oven. "After dinner we can clean up and watch a movie or something."

"We don't own any kid appropriate movies," Brian pointed out. Gay porn was hardly something that Melanie and Lindsay would approve of Gus watching.

"As luck would have it, Mel and Linds sent some of Gus's DVDs so that he'd have something to watch while he's here.

"How exciting, _Sesame Street _and _the Teletubies_. My dick's all a-quiver."

"Brian!" Justin chastised, nodding toward Gus, who had started painting again.

"Listen to you. 'If you want to help too, we could all need a bath," Brian quoted.

"At least it was suggestive. You just came right out with it."

"He'll be fine," Brian assured him. At Justin's pointed look, Brian caved in, "I'll watch my mouth," he promised.

"Thanks." Justin gave him a quick kiss. "Now, let's hurry up and finish this room so we can get it aired out before bedtime.

They finished just in time for Justin to pull the chicken pot pies from the oven before they started to burn. "Dinner's ready," Justin called up to Brian and Gus. Brian set the table and helped Justin carry the food to the table. "Which one's mine?" Gus asked, looking at the three pot pies before him.

"The little one, see?" Justin picked it up and set it on Gus's plate. "Unless you'd rather have a big one," he teased. There was no possible way that Gus could eat one of the bigger ones, Justin could barely eat one of the bigger ones.

"No," Gus laughed.

Brian looked down at the pot pie on his plate. "I'm going to need to work out after eating this," he said.

"Oh, come on. One little chicken pot pie won't kill you," Justin insisted.

"You're right, one little chicken pot pie won't kill me, but a huge one like this will."

"You are something else." Justin shook his head.

"I thought we already established that?" Justin couldn't help but smile.

After dinner, Brian cleared the table. "I'll do the dishes," he offered. "You cooked."

"Are you sure?" Justin asked, hoping that Brian would do them since he was dying to get the paint off of himself.

"Sure."

"Thanks. I'll go give Gus a bath while you're doing that and then we can take a shower." He winked at Brian.

"Let me work out a bit first," Brian said. "All that food I just ate is stretching out my stomach."

"Fine. Have fun."

Justin took Gus upstairs and ran his bath water. He had never bathed a kid before, but he assumed that Gus could do it himself, he just needed Justin there to make sure he didn't drown or anything. Helping Gus into the tub, Justin put the toilet lid down and sat on it. "I need to wash my hair," Gus said quietly.

"I'll help you," Justin replied, getting Gus's hair wet and then massaging some shampoo onto his scalp. "You have hair like your dad," he noted. He grabbed the nozzle and said, "Close your eyes. You don't want to get shampoo in your eyes, do you?"

"No!" Gus answered emphatically. "It hurts."

"When I was your age I use to cry when my mom washed my hair because I was afraid of getting shampoo in my eyes." Gus laughed and closed his eyes. Justin rinsed the shampoo out of Gus's hair. "Can you do the rest, or do you need help?"

"I can do it," Gus said, grabbing the washcloth that Justin offered him, soaking it in the water for a few seconds and then grabbing the bar of soap.

By the time Gus was done with his bath, Brian was lumbering up the stairs, drenched in sweat. "Just how hard did you work out?" Justin asked, looking him up and down.

"Hard enough that I won't gain an ounce," Brian replied with a devilish grin. "Ready for that shower?"

"Let me get Gus settled in with a movie and I'll be right in." Justin helped Gus get into a pair of pajamas and opened up his suitcase filled with DVDs. "How about you pick out a movie to watch?" he suggested.

"Okay." Gus knelt before the suitcase and looked through the collection. He pulled out a DVD and handed it to Justin.

"Awesome, _Blue's Clues._ My sister Molly used to watch this," Justin said. He put the DVD in and turned the lights out. "I'm going to go take a shower okay?"

"Okay." Gus was barely listening, he was too wrapped up in his movie.

"I'll be right back."

Brian was already in the shower when Justin came in. Slipping out of his paint covered clothes, he got in, welcoming the sensation of the hot warm beating down on him. Brian kissed the back of his neck and wrapped his arms around him. Justin closed his eyes and sighed contentedly. Brian started to work his way down Justin's body. "We can't be in here too long," Justin muttered.

"Unfortunately," Brian replied with a sigh. They washed each other's bodies and got out.

After drying off, Justin went in to check on Gus. He was fast asleep. Justin quietly turned off the little TV and sat on the edge of Gus's bed, giving him a light kiss on the forehead. He turned the lamp on the bedside stand on so Gus wouldn't be afraid if he woke up in the middle of the night. "Is he enjoying his movie?" Brian asked, standing out in the hallway.

"He's asleep," Justin answered. "Poor guy, he must've been exhausted. He's had quite a day."

"Yeah," Brian agreed.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Justin asked, hinting.

"I thought maybe we could...I don't know, finish what we started in the shower?"

"Just what I had in mind," Justin said, with a coy smile.

Brian locked the door and took off his bathrobe. He stood completely naked before Justin, who licked his lips in anticipation. Brian slowly made his way to the bed and lay down next to Justin, gently rubbing his chest. He reached into the drawer of his bedside stand and pulled out a condom and the lube. Before he could apply the lube though, Justin started to kiss him passionately, rolling on top of him. As their kissing intensified, Brian once more reached for the goodies.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the sound of crying coming from down the hall. "It's Gus," Justin said, rolling off of Brian and quickly putting his clothes back on.

"I'll go check on him," Brian replied, tying his bathrobe tightly and heading for Gus's room. Opening the door, he saw Gus in bed, crying. "Hey, what's wrong?" Brian asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"I miss my mommy!" Gus cried, throwing his arms around Brian and sobbing into his chest.

"Is he okay?" Justin asked from the doorway.

"He'll be fine. He just misses Lindsay and Melanie," Brian explained, stroking Gus's hair. "It's okay, Gus. I think he should sleep with us tonight." Brian looked over at Justin.

"Of course." Justin nodded his assent and grabbed Gus's pillow. "I'll go get the bed set up."

After a few minutes, Gus began to calm down. He yawned loudly. "Time for bed, Sonny Boy," Brian murmured, picking Gus up and carrying him down the hall to their room. Justin was just finishing with the bed when they came in.

"I wasn't sure if you'd want him in the middle or on the end," he said, holding up Gus's pillow.

"Probably the middle," Brian replied. "We don't want him falling out of bed in the middle of the night."

"Good point." Justin placed Gus's pillow in between his and Brian's pillows.

They climbed into bed and the blankets were pulled up. Gus lay as close to Brian as he could possibly be, his arms on Brian's chest. As soon as they were all situated, Gus drifted off to sleep, snoring lightly. Brian smiled down at him. "That's my boy," he whispered.

"You really are a great father," Justin said, leaning over Gus to kiss Brian. "Our kids are lucky to have you."

"I don't know about that, but they're definitely lucky to have you." He gave Justin a kiss and lay back on his pillow.

"They're lucky to have both of us," Justin corrected. "And I know that you like to think that your biggest organ is your dick, but I think we both know that that isn't true. It's your heart. Especially when it comes to your family."

"If you say so." Brian grinned. "Remind me tomorrow to show you exactly which of my organs is the biggest."

"I can't wait."

Brian switched the light off and closed his eyes. Before long, they were all asleep.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Hunter, Callie, and Lexi graduate and celebrate at their Senior All Night Party.


	48. Graduation

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **After a brief visit, Melanie and Lindsay returned home to Canada with JR, leaving Gus with Brian and Justin.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Seven

"Jennifer LaRousche," the principal's voice echoed throughout the gymnasium. The seniors had finally finished school and all they needed to do before being completely free was sit through the graduation ceremony. Jennifer quickly made her way across the stage, shook the principal's hand and accepted the blank piece of paper that filled in for the diploma. "Callie Leeson," the principal continued.

Rising from her seat, Callie passed by Hunter. She smiled kindly at him and continued on her way. They'd recently reconciled, and even though their relationship was over, they were still friends. As Callie's parents cheered their daughter on, Michael scowled. "I hate them," he muttered to Ben.

"Michael, we've been over this," Ben reminded him. "Don't let them ruin your day."

"I won't, but that's not going to stop me from hating them any less." Debbie shushed him.

After what seemed like forever, it was finally Hunter's turn. "James Novotny-Bruckner," the principal announced. Ben, Michael, and Carl clapped enthusiastically while Debbie whooped so loudly that Hunter turned in her direction and laughed. The man sitting next to Deb looked over at her and she said, "That's my grandson. You got a problem with that?" The man shook his head and went back to watching the commencement ceremony.

When all the students had gotten their papers, the choir sang one final song and the ceremony came to a close with a long, boring speech from the principal. "Is it just me or do these speeches get longer and more boring as the years go by?" Deb muttered.

"It isn't just you," Michael replied, yawning. "And I thought the one at my graduation was boring." As the speech came to an end, everybody in the room clapped, mainly because the dreary speech was finally over and they could get the hell out of dodge.

Hunter found Lexi. "Can you believe we did it?" he asked, gathering her up in a hug. "High School is finally over!"

"Thank God!" Lexi replied, laughing excitedly.

"Hey, guys," Callie said as she came up to them, shuffling her feet nervously.

"Hey, Callie," they said smiling.

"Congratulations," Callie continued, giving both Hunter and Lexi hugs.

"You, too," Lexi said kindly. Before dating Hunter, she had never talked to Callie, but she was glad that she had because Callie was actually a nice person, unlike most of the other jerks they went to school with.

"Where are you guys going to college?" Callie asked.

Hunter and Lexi exchanged looks. The main reason that Hunter had not committed to a college yet was because he wanted to go the same school as Lexi, who was the most indecisive person he'd ever met. "I've applied to Allegheny Community College," Lexi answered.

"Me, too," Hunter said.

"You're going to the same college? That is so cute." Callie smiled warmly.

"What about you?" Hunter asked. "With your SAT scores, you could get into practically any school."

"I got accepted to Dartmouth," Callie replied.

"Wow, congratulations!"

"Thanks."

"So, you're going to New Hampshire?"

"I wanted to get away from my parents," Callie admitted. "You know how they are."

"Yeah, unfortunately I do." Hunter and Callie exchanged a sad look at the memory of the embarrassment Hunter had faced at the swim meet after Callie's parents announced to the whole room that Hunter was HIV positive. Then they had told everyone about Hunter's past as a hustler.

Michael, Ben, Debbie, and Carl came around the corner towards them. "Hey, Callie," Ben said, smiling.

"Hi, Mr. Bruckner. Hi, Mr. Novotny," she replied politely.

"Hey," Michael said with a small smile. He may hate her parents, but Callie was hardly to blame for her parents' ignorance. "How've you been?"

"Great, and you?"

"I can't complain."

Antonique and Robert found them. "Get together kids, I want a picture of the three of you," Antonique ordered, pulling out her camera. The kids complied, putting their arms around each other.

"Is that Lexi's mom?" Debbie quietly asked Michael.

"Yeah," he answered.

"I like her already." Michael laughed.

"Now I want one you two and Hunter," Antonique said to Michael and Ben.

"Perfect." Ben grabbed Michael's hand and went to stand next to Hunter. They posed for a few pictures before Antonique asked Ben to take some pictures of her, Robert, and Lexi.

Suddenly, Callie's parents descended like a pack of hungry wolves. "Come on, Callie," her dad, Stephen, said, giving everyone a dirty look.

"But, Dad..." Callie began, her face flushing with anger and embarrassment.

"How many times do we have to tell you? We don't want you hanging out with that boy," Amber said loud enough for everyone to hear.

Michael took an angry step forward but Ben grabbed his arm and patted it comfortingly. "Let it go," he soothed. "We aren't going to change their minds."

"I'm so sorry," Callie said, on the verge of tears. Michael felt bad for the poor girl.

"It's okay, Callie. I'll see you later," Hunter promised with a wicked smile at her parents. Callie nodded and let her parents lead her away.

"What the fuck's their problem?" Debbie asked.

"They don't want their daughter hanging around Hunter because he's positive," Michael answered bitterly. "They think she's going to catch it."

"Hey, forget about them," Antonique said, putting an arm around Michael. "They obviously don't know any better. The only way to deal with people like that is to ignore them, otherwise they win."

"You're pretty smart," Debbie complemented her.

"Poor Callie," Lexi said, shaking her head sadly. "It must suck to have parents like that."

"Yeah," Hunter agreed. "At least she's getting away from them."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ben asked with mock anger. "Michael and I aren't that bad, are we?"

"You couldn't be better," Hunter answered. He was so glad that Michael and Ben had come into his life. _Who knows where I'd be right now if it weren't for them? Probably dead in an alley somewhere,_ he realized, bile rising in his throat.

The whole group reconvened at the Liberty Diner. "This place is nice. I've always wanted to come here," Antonique said when they walked in.

"Come in anytime. I get an employee discount," Deb replied.

"You're so kind." Antonique gave Debbie a quick hug.

"Anything for a friend of Michael's."

They ordered ice cream sundaes. It was a hot day and ice cream was the only thing on the menu that sounded even remotely appealing. "So, are you glad to finally be graduated?" Robert asked Hunter.

"Of course," Hunter answered. "No more getting up before six. What's not to be glad about?"

"I felt the same way," Robert agreed. "I was so glad that you get choose what time you take your college classes at. I never took any before noon."

"That's because you were up all night partying," Antonique interjected, laughing.

"I was a teenager, what did you expect?" Robert said in his defense. "Am I right, Ben?"

"Well," Ben chuckled, "I was never really one for partying all that much to be honest."

"Me neither," Michael admitted.

Debbie laughed. "Oh, come on, Michael. You and Brian used to go to Babylon all the time!"

"Yeah but we weren't partying. I'd have a couple of beers and that was it, I wasn't getting wasted or anything."

"Mmmhmm." Deb winked at him. "I believe you."

"Deb, leave the boy alone," Carl pleaded. "You're embarrassing him. Michael nodded his thanks to Carl.

"Don't be silly, If I really wanted to embarrass Michael I'd bring up..." Michael put his hand over Deb's mouth.

"Please," Michael begged, his eyes pleading. He slowly removed his hand.

"Fine, I was just kidding for crying out loud."

They enjoyed their sundaes in companionable silence. By the time they'd finished, it was already early evening. "We have to go," Hunter said, standing up.

"Where to hotshot?" Debbie asked.

"There's a senior all night party at the high school so we can all get together one last time before we go our separate ways," he explained.

"Do you need a ride?" Antonique offered. "It's on our way home."

"If you wouldn't mind, Mom," Lexi said with a sweet smile.

"Anything for you, baby. Come on kids, let's go. It was lovely meeting you. Debbie." Antonique held out her hand and Debbie shook it. "I'll be back one of these days."

"I'll keep an eye out," Debbie promised.

Hunter made his goodbyes and left with the Harolds. "They're really nice," Deb said.

"Yeah, they are," Ben agreed. "They really think a lot of Hunter."

"Unlike the Leesons," Michael muttered. "Do you think they'll let Callie go to the all night party?"

"For her sake, I hope so. I'd hate for her to have to miss it."

"She seemed like a really nice girl. I guess it just goes to show that even if your parents are assholes you can still turn out okay," Deb added.

"Well said, Deb," Ben replied, laughing.

With Hunter gone, the party went back to Deb and Carl's house. At first, Michael had declined the offer, but Debbie had insisted. "I am making you dinner and you're going to like it!" she'd said. No one argued after that. She made pasta and bread sticks, something fast and easy. As always, she'd made way too much, so a good portion of the leftovers were wrapped up and given to Michael and Ben to take home.

Once home, Michael and Ben went upstairs to their bedroom. Ever since Hunter had started dating Lexi, they'd had the house to themselves more often than they had in the past. "What do you say we have an all night party of our own?" Michael asked, his pants falling to floor. Ben laughed and pulled Michael close to him.

* * *

At the all night party, Lexi and Hunter were sitting alone at one of the tables set up in lunch room. They didn't have that many friends, but neither one really cared. All around them their classmates stood in groups talking or enjoying the myriad of entertainment outlets set up for the event.

Lexi was resting her head on Hunter's shoulder. Even though they were going to the same college in the fall, they wouldn't be seeing each other every day as they accustomed to. "I want tonight to be special," Lexi said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Hunter asked, licking his lips nervously.

"I mean, I want us to..." Lexi paused, frowning.

"To...?"

"Have sex," Lexi said, blushing.

"You want to have sex here at school? Are you sure?" Hunter had had sex plenty of times before, but he truly loved Lexi and didn't want to push her into doing something she didn't want to do.

"I've never been more sure of anything," she replied.

"I love you," Hunter said, kissing Lexi.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought Hunter and Lexi back to reality. "I'm sorry to interrupt," Callie said.

"Your parents let you come?" Hunter asked incredulously. He'd figured that Stephen and Amber would've had Callie under house arrest for talking to him earlier.

"They don't know I'm here," she admitted with a sly smile. "I told them I had a headache and went to bed."

"Good one." Hunter gave her a high five.

"Listen, I just want to apologize for the way my parents behaved today. They had no right..."

"Forget it," Hunter insisted. "I don't care about them. We're still going to be friends no matter what they say."

"To friends," Lexi said, raising her cup of fruit punch up in the air.

"To friends," Hunter and Callie said, clinking their cups together with Callie's.

"Hey, is Randy here?" Lexi asked. Randy was Callie's new boyfriend. Callie and Matt hadn't lasted more than a few weeks, much to Hunter's immense satisfaction. It was because of Matt that Callie had turned on him. He was grateful to have her back.

"He said he might stop by later," Callie replied.

"Cool."

They decided to go into the auditorium where students were being hypnotized. "This should be pretty funny," Hunter said as they took their seats. A girl whose name Hunter did not know what standing on the stage with her eyes closed. The hypnotist commanded her to bleat like a goat. She did as she was told. Everyone in the auditorium laughed. After a few minutes of embarrassing herself, the girl was let out of her hypnotic trance and the next volunteer was brought up onto the stage.

Before long, Hunter started to get bored and suggested that they move on. A mechanical bull had been set up in gym but he couldn't talk Lexi or Callie into going on it. "You two are so lame," he joked.

"You just want us to go on there so you can see our boobs flopping around," Callie accused him.

"Yeah," Lexi agreed.

"Okay maybe so, but I'd go on, too."

"You don't have anything that'll be visibly flapping," Callie shot back. "In no way is that comparable."

"Whatever. Let's go check out what movie they're playing in the distance learning lab."

Callie and Lexi agreed and they made their way across the expansive school. Conveniently, the room was dark save for the pulled down screen that the movie was projected onto. The room was empty except for a few people in the very front. They quietly snuck in and took seats in the back row. Hunter reached into the pocket of pants and pulled out a joint. "Where did you get that?" Lexi asked, eying it up.

"I found it in Michael and Ben's room. He must've gotten it from Brian," Hunter explained, lighting the joint and taking a hit.

"Brian? The best friend?" Lexi asked.

"Yeah." Hunter handed the joint to Lexi, who inhaled deeply and passed it on to Callie.

"Aren't you worried that Michael will notice his stuff's missing?" Callie asked.

"I'll replace it. Besides, the only time he really smokes is when he's with Brian, so I don't think he'll notice. Ben won't touch the stuff."

The pot started to sink in and they grew quiet, watching the movie. "I'm hungry," Callie whispered after a few minutes.

"Me, too," Hunter admitted.

"Me, three," Lexi continued, giggling quietly.

"You didn't happen to bring some snacks with you, did you?" Callie asked.

"No. But I think they're still serving food in the cafeteria," Hunter suggested. "We could go get some more food."

"Let's do it," Callie and Lexi said in unison.

The food was laying out for anyone to take. They quickly filled their plates up and went to a deserted corner to eat. If any of the faculty members chaperoning smelled pot on them, they'd be kicked out or worse. _I should've brought some cologne_, Hunter thought, mentally kicking himself. Then a thought came to him: the pool was open for the night and he'd brought his swimsuit. "After we eat, do you guys want to go check out the pool?" he asked.

"Sure. But we have to wait an hour after we eat before we can swim," Lexi pointed out.

"Fuck that, let's just do it. We're not going to actually swim anyway, we're just gonna sit in the water and get the pot stench off. I don't know about you two, but I go home reeking of pot, I'll get my ass reamed. But not in a gay way."

"Good point."

The water was warm and soothing. Hunter had never seen Lexi in a bathing suit, but when she and Callie came out of the locker room, he definitely enjoyed he view. He felt a stiffening between his legs but ignored it. Nothing you can do until after Callie leaves. Lexi and Callie got in and treaded water on either side of him. "I'm so glad you guys came to this," Callie said. "I just feel like it's all over, you know? I'm moving to New Hampshire and you guys are going to still be here..."

"But you'll come home for holidays and stuff, right?" Lexi asked.

"I don't know. I was thinking of getting an apartment out there so I don't have to come back and stay with my parents. I can't fucking stand them."

"Even if we don't see each other, that won't change the fact that we're friends," Hunter pointed out. "And they've got phones in New Hampshire. We'll talk to each other all the time."

"Promise?" Callie asked.

"Promise," Lexi and Hunter repeated.

They were just about to hug when a voice disrupted them. Callie turned. "Randy!" She smiled at her friends and swam over to the ladder, climbing up and throwing her arms around her boyfriend.

"Let's get out of here," Randy said with a slight nod of his head.

"Okay, bye guys." Callie waved back at them. "I expect to hear from you soon." Hunter and Lexi waved her off.

"So..." Lexi began. "Do you have any condoms?" Hunter smiled and nodded his head.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Justin finds a surprise in the garage. Brian realizes that he may not be a shitty father after all.


	49. Not a Shitty Father

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin got Gus for the summer.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Eight

After that first bad night, Gus had settled in nicely. In the following two weeks, he'd slept in his own room and to the best of Brian and Justin's knowledge, hadn't cried once. Justin only had to go into work three days out of the week, but on the days that he did, Daphne came over to watch Gus. She figured it would help with her maternal instincts, and since she'd just graduated and quit her job, it was a source of income that she desperately needed. Plus, Gus had come to think of her as a third mom.

It was one of Justin's days off and Brian had left fairly early, just after Gus had gotten up. He'd given them both a kiss on the cheek on his way out the door, promising to be home promptly at six thirty. "Don't work too hard," Justin had told him. Brian had laughed and given Justin a playful shove.

Justin made Gus breakfast and then went into his studio to work on the painting. Now that he was close to completing it, Justin was feeling even more nervous about the whole thing. What if nobody like it? What if he'd lost his touch and made a fool of himself? With an irritated sigh, he set down his paintbrush and put his head in his hands. _Who cares what anyone else thinks? All that matters is that I like it...well Brian, too_, he thought.

When Justin looked up, Gus was standing in the doorway. "What are you up to?" he asked, standing up and covering his painting.

"I'm done," Gus replied. "Can I paint, too? I like painting."

"How about we start with drawing? I think there's an old sketch pad of mine in the garage. Do you want to go get it for you?" Gus nodded his head emphatically. "Okay, you stay here and I'll be right back." Putting on his shoes, Justin trekked across the yard to the garage. He flipped the light switch but nothing happened. _Great, the bulb's burnt out_. There was a window along one wall, but the light shining through was scarce. It would have to do.

Justin made his way to the row of boxes in the corner and looked for the one marked "Art Supplies," in Brian's handwriting. He moved a few boxes out of the way until he found the one he was looking for. Opening the lid, he coughed as a cloud of dust flew up to his face. _There's one for the record books: something of Brian Kinney's had dust on it!_ When the dust cleared, he started to rifle through the box. It was full of art accouterments and a few small paintings that Brian had bought before he'd met Justin. He pulled them all out and carefully set them down on the bench next to him.

At the bottom of the box he found the sketch pad. When he grabbed it, the pad got caught on the edge of a medium sized frame. Knitting his brows, Justin pulled the frame out and flipped it over. His breath caught in his chest. It was the semi-nude drawing he'd done of Brian not long after they'd first met. Lindsay had talked him into putting it into an art show at the Gay and Lesbian Center and someone had bought it, though he'd never known who it was_. I always figured it was some old pervert_, Justin thought. _Why did Brian never tell me?_

Putting everything but the drawing and sketch pad back into the box, Justin went back into the house. Gus had done as he was told and was sitting on the floor of the studio, playing with a gob of playdoh. "Here you go," Justin said, handing Gus the sketch pad.

"What's that?" Gus asked, pointing to the frame that Justin had clutched to his chest.

"Nothing. Just a drawing I did of your dad once," Justin answered. _It's not a total lie_.

"Can I see?"

"Maybe some other time. Are you still hungry? I think there's a box of macaroni and cheese in the cupboard I could make you." Hopefully the change of topic would be enough the make Gus forget all about the drawing.

"Yes, please," Gus replied as he started to doodle in the sketch pad. Looking over his shoulder, Justin noticed that Gus wasn't half bad for a four year old.

"That's really good, Gus," Justin said.

"Thanks."

"What is it?" He'd drawn two people in crayon, but Justin couldn't tell who they were.

"It's you and Daddy," Gus explained.

"Are you going to draw yourself in the picture, too?"

"Yeah. And then I'm going to draw one of me and my mommies."

"Awesome! While the food's cooking, I'll draw a picture of you, me, and Daddy, too. Would you like that?"

"Yes." Gus looked up and flashed Justin the famous Brian Kinney smile. _Oh no! We've got another heartbreaker on our hands,_ he thought with a smile. _Brian will be so proud_.

While the macaroni noodles were boiling, Justin started his drawing. He wanted it to be as perfect as possible for Gus, something for him to treasure. He started with Brian, mainly because he knew every inch of Brian's face; he'd drawn him many times in the past. Just at he was putting the finishing touches on the shading, he realized that the noodles were ready.

Justin spent the time that he was cooking thinking about the drawing he'd found. He was so touched that Brian had bought it. If only he'd known at the time. Not that it mattered that much. In his own way Brian had always shown Justin that he loved him and this was just one more way of doing so.

When the food was done, Justin put some in a bowl and set in on the table. "Gus, your lunch is ready," he called. Gus came running into the dining room and sat down at the table. Justin brought him a cup of juice and sat down with him, using the opportunity to use Gus as model for the drawing. When he was satisfied with his sketch of Gus, he moved onto himself. Grabbing a mirror, he held it out so that he had a perfect frontal view of his face. Once he started working again, he became totally absorbed in his work, not even noticing that Gus was quietly watching him in awe.

A half hour later, Justin set the pencil down. His hand was starting to shake from the exertion. _Fucking Chris Hobbs_, Justin thought. Even though most of the damage from the bashing had healed itself over time, Justin's hand still shook if he drew for too long. "What do you think?" he asked Gus, holding up the finished product for the boy to inspect.

"It's really good," Gus answered.

"You can keep it. That way no matter what, your dad and I are always with you." Justin handed the drawing to Gus, who ran over to Justin and threw his arms around him.

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Maybe tomorrow I'll do one of your moms so you can have them here with you, too."

Gus smiled and picked up the drawing. He ran up the stairs and went into his room. When he came back down out of breath, Justin asked, "What did you do?"

"I put in next to my bed," Gus replied. "On the dresser."

"So we can watch over you while you sleep?" Justin suggested. Gus nodded his head. Justin smiled and gave Gus a hug. "I'm so glad you came to stay with us for the summer, Gus. I love you just as much as your dad does, you know that, right?"

"I know. I love you, too." They hugged again and Justin felt a pang of guilt about the fact that Gus still did not know that he had a little brother or sister on the way. _I'll talk to Brian about it when he gets home and see what he thinks about it_, he decided.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Justin went back to working on his painting. He wasn't sure what was going to come out of the whole thing, but he hoped it was something good. Brian's birthday was a few days away and Justin wished he had more money to get Brian something special for his birthday. _If my painting sold for a couple hundred dollars, I could buy Brian a new suit or something, not that he needs one_. Luckily, Justin had made enough money working at the diner that he could at least buy something for Brian, but what? Considering this, he continued to paint.

* * *

Brian had had a long day at work. He was swamped with ad campaigns to design and was dying to get home to Justin and Gus. _Who ever thought they'd live to see the day that Brian Kinney couldn't wait to go home to his partner and his son_? Despite his earlier protestations, Brian was glad that he'd decided to marry Justin. For the first time in his life, he was completely happy.

He killed the engine of his car as soon as he was in front of the house. He stepped through the front door and called, "I'm home."

"Daddy!" Gus shouted, running out of Justin's studio.

"Hey, Sonny Boy!" Brian picked him up and kissed him. "Did you have fun today with Justin?"

"Yeah!" He grabbed Brian's hand and started to drag him toward the stairs. "I have something to show you in my room!"

"Okay, just let my say hi to Justin first, okay?" He walked into the studio, where Justin was covering up his painting. "When are you going to finish covering that thing and let me see it?" Brian asked, putting his arms around Justin from behind. Justin closed his eyes and smiled.

"Soon, I hope. I can't wait for you to see it." He spun around the face Brian and kissed him passionately.

"Well if that's how you feel..." Brian reached over and started to pull back the covering.

"No!" Justin pulled his hand away. "Not yet. I'm almost done, I promise."

"Yeah, yeah, tell it to the judge."

Gus came and stood in the doorway. "Daddy, come on!" he said, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Okay." Brian looked over at Justin. "He's dying to show me something in his room," he explained.

"You're going to show him?" Justin asked, smiling. Gus nodded.

"What is this, a conspiracy?" Brian joked as Gus and Justin pulled him up the stairs.

"Cover your eyes," Gus ordered, barring entry into the bedroom.

"Fine." Brian put a hand over his eyes and allowed Justin to lead him into the room.

"Okay, open them!"

Brian opened his eyes and saw the drawing that Gus was holding out. It was a charcoal drawing of Justin, Gus, and himself. The detail was extraordinary and if he didn't know any better, he'd think that he was looking at the real thing. "Wow. Did you draw that?" Brian asked. He knew that Gus hadn't drawn it, but figured it was better to humor him.

"Justin did."

"I should have known," Brian said with a wry smile.

"And why is that?" Justin asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Because," Brian explained, "it's beautiful."

Justin smiled and blushed. "Really?" He felt the weightlessness of exultation surge through his body. "You mean it?"

"Of course I mean it. Would I lie to you?" Justin shook his head.

"Kiss," Gus said, smiling excitedly. Brian and Justin looked at each other and shrugged.

"Better do as he says," Brian suggested, quickly closing the gap between himself and Justin. He pressed his lips against Justin's and wrapped his arms around him. His hands started to work their way down, but Justin pulled back.

"Gus is in the room," he whispered, shooting a nervous glance over at the boy.

"I forgot," Brian admitted with a chuckle. "I was caught in the moment I guess."

"Yeah, I guess. We can finish this later," Justin promised.

"We'd better." Brian smacked Justin's ass and went back to stand by Gus. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think it was bath time," he said, looking at his watch.

"Okay," Gus said, heading toward the bathroom.

Justin made to follow him. "I'll do it," Brian said. "That way you can go work on your painting so you can finally finish it."

"I think I'm done for now, I'll go get dinner started. Is chicken okay?"

"Sure." Brian sighed quietly. He wanted Justin to finish his painting so that he could give him the greatest pleasure of all by hosting a showing at the house. Hopefully, important buyers would come to see it and he would finally be a success. Then his dreams would at last come true.

"Daddy," Gus called from the bathroom.

"I'm coming," Brian replied, giving Justin once more quick kiss before leaving the room.

While Gus got undressed, Brian ran the bath water. At first it had taken him awhile to get the water at the right temperature that Gus wanted it, but after a few weeks of doing it, he was a pro. He helped Gus into the bath and then sat down on the rug outside the tub. Unbuttoning the sleeves of his dress shirt and rolling them up to his elbows, Brian plunged his hands into the tepid water, splashing Gus playfully. They started splashing each other with water and soon Brian was nearly as drenched as Gus was. "Okay Gus, playtime's over. Let's get you cleaned up so we can help Justin set the table, okay?" Gus nodded and let Brian wash his hair. Since he had started giving Gus his bath every night, Brian had come to look forward to it as a time when he and Gus could bond and have fun. He looked forward to doing the same with the new baby.

After drying Gus off and putting him in some pajamas, Brian went into his bedroom to change into some dry clothes. He was surprised to see Justin sitting on the bed, clutching a frame. "What's that?" Brian asked, nodding toward the thing in Justin's arms.

"Something I never thought I'd see again," Justin replied with a sly smile.

"Okay..." Brian shook his head. "And that would be?"

"This." Justin turned the frame around so that Brian could see what was in it. When his eyes settled on the drawing, he smiled. He'd bought the drawing from the Gay and Lesbian Center and stashed it away, too stubborn to even slightly hint that his feelings for Justin were stronger than just sex.

"I see you found it," Brian said casually as he stepped into the closet.

"Yeah. Why didn't you tell me?" Justin asked, rising from the bed and following Brian.

"What for?" Brian inquired. "I didn't think it was that important that you knew."

Justin nodded his head. "I guess. It's just good to know that it ended up with you and not some desperate queen that had pining after you for years but didn't stand a chance." They both chuckled at that idea.

"Good thing," Brian continued. "I hate when that happens." He noticed that Justin's brows were knit pensively. "What's up?"

"I've been thinking..." Justin chewed his lip.

"What?"

"I think we should tell Gus about the baby. He has a right to know, it affects him."

"When?"

"Tonight?" Justin gave Brian his sweetest smile knowing that he couldn't be denied.

"Okay," Brian said, face emotionless.

"Really? You don't mind?"

"I don't mind." Brian shrugged. "Let's do it."

Arm-in-arm, they joined Gus downstairs. Brian and Gus disappeared into the kitchen and came out with plates and silverware. Smiling, Justin went to check on the chicken. Pulling it out of the oven, he determined that it was more or less done. When he brought it out, the table was fully set and Brian had even lit a few candles. _How romantic_, Justin thought, once again feeling weightless.

They sat down to eat. Brian cleared his throat before taking a sip of his wine. "Gus," he said, putting down his knife and fork. Gus looked up at him quizzically. "There's something that Justin and I need to tell you."

"Before we do though, we just want you to know that this doesn't change anything. Absolutely nothing, okay?" Gus nodded. Justin looked over and Brian and nodded his head.

"How would you feel about having a new little brother or sister?" Brian asked.

Gus chewed his food for a second. "Like Jenny?" he asked.

"Yeah, just like that," Brian said, smiling encouragingly.

"I'd like that," Gus answered.

"Well, Justin and I are going to have a baby."

"Boys can't have babies." Gus laughed joyously. "Silly."

"Daphne's having a baby," Brian amended. "But it's going to be your sibling. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Gus nodded once more.

"We just wanted to you to know," Justin added. "so that you wouldn't be surprised the next time you come to visit and there's a new baby."

"As Justin said, this doesn't change anything. I still love you very much and I always will."

"Me, too," Justin said. "Nothing could ever make us stop loving you."

"I know," Gus replied, once again flashing the Brian smile.

After dinner, Brian took Gus up to get ready for bed. Justin hurriedly cleaned up so that he would get a chance to say goodnight to Gus, too. When he walked into the bedroom, Brian and Gus were lying in the bed and Brian was reading _Chicka Chicka Boom Boom_. Justin climbed into bed next to them and listened to the rest of the story. By the time the book was done, Gus could barely keep his eyes open. "Goodnight Sonny Boy," Brian whispered, kissing Gus softly and lovingly stroking the top of his head. Justin leaned in and kissed Gus's cheek.

"Goodnight."

Shutting the door quietly, they went back to their room. "I think that went well," Justin said, pulling off his socks. "He took it better than I thought he would."

"Well, he does have a sister at home," Brian noted. "We probably made a bigger deal out of it than was necessary."

"Probably, but he's not used to having to share you with anyone but me. You know how much he loves you."

"Yeah." Brian pulled the blankets back as he lay down. Justin climbed over him and pulled the blankets back up.

"I'm glad though," he admitted. "I don't want him to think that I'm the evil stepmother or anything."

Brian chuckled. "Don't be ridiculous. He loves you just as much as he loves me. He could never think anything bad about you."

"Why is that you can be so wise when it comes to me, but when it comes to you, you're clueless?" Justin asked, resting his head on Brian's chest.

"What do mean?" Brian looked down at Justin.

"Well, you haven't said it for awhile, but you've always said that you were a shitty father. That couldn't be farther from the truth."

"I guess you're right." Brian sighed. "The good news is that I'll never have to say that again. After this summer, Gus and I will as close as possible. I'll just have to make more of an effort to see him during the school year from now on."

"He'd like that."

"Maybe Lindsay and Melanie would let us have him for Christmas, too."

"I'm sure they would. They wouldn't do anything to stop you from seeing Gus."

"You're right." Brian nuzzled the top of Justin's head with his chin. "Well, I'm beat and I have to get up early to work on a new account so I can have it ready by noon."

"Sucks to be you," Justin said, playfully biting Brian's nipple.

"Not entirely." Brian turned the light off and swooped down on Justin.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Ted. Emmett, and their partners set out on a road trip to Toronto.


	50. Not a Road Trip Without Barbra

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** While visiting, Melanie and Lindsay invited Ted, Emmett, Blake, and Calvin to come and visit them in Toronto.

After graduating, Hunter secretly applied to Allegheny Community College to be with Lexi.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Nine

"I don't know what to wear. What are you packing?" Emmett's voice said in Ted's ear.

"Normal clothes, Em. It isn't like we're going to the arctic or anything," Ted replied, moving the phone to his other ear. After talking it over, they'd decided to take Lindsay and Melanie up on their offer to come and visit them in Canada. They were leaving early the next morning.

"I know that, Teddy, but I just wasn't sure. The last time we were there it was pretty cold..."

"It was winter," Ted reminded him. He loved Emmett but sometimes he could be really dense.

"It's the end of May, the weather should be pretty much the same as it is here. At least, that's what Mel and Linz told me when they were here."

"Okay. I'll just bring a bit of everything, you can never be too prepared." Emmett chuckled.

"You do that. Just remember that we're not going to have a whole lot of space so don't bring everything you own okay? The bare necessities only."

"Okay," Emmett promised. "You know me so well Teddy."

"Aren't I lucky," Ted grumbled. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, sweetie."

"Bye."

As Ted hung up, Blake walked in the door. "Hey," he said, smiling. "Are you all packed?"

"I just finished," Ted replied, zipping up his suitcase and putting it by the door.

"Who was that on the phone?" Blake wasn't jealous, he was just curious.

"Emmett. He wasn't sure what kind of clothes to bring."

"He does know that we're just going to Canada, right?" Blake joked.

"Apparently not." Ted shook his head. "You can't help but love him, though."

"That's for sure." Blake went into the fridge and got a bottle of water. "He's one of a kind."

"Did you eat?" Ted asked, his stomach gurgling. He hadn't eaten since lunch and was starving.

"Not yet. I've been so busy I couldn't stop to eat." He looked around in the fridge for something to make for dinner. They had used up everything that would expire while they were gone, so basically the fridge was empty of all food items.

"I could order a pizza if you want. There's a coupon for half off a medium pizza." He pointed to the paper on the fridge door.

"That's fine," Blake replied. "To be honest, I'm so tired I don't know if I have the energy to make something."

It didn't take long for their dinner to arrive and they ate in silence. Both were exhausted from a long day at work and were looking forward to the vacation. Blake had taken off the week from the clinic, much to his patients' chagrin, but luckily there were plenty of counselors to fill in while he was gone. Brian had been more than happy to give Ted a break. "It keeps me from having to look at you," he'd said jokingly. At least, Ted _thought_ that he was joking, with Brian you didn't always know.

Between the two of them, they ate the whole medium pizza. "By the time we get back it won't be good, so we may as well eat it," Ted had pointed out.

"Thank God you're not one of those guys who's obsessed with being pencil thin and has to work out every time he eats something," Blake replied. "I think I'd go out of my mind."

"I have a good metabolism," Ted lied. Blake laughed. "Well, we'd better get going to bed if we want to be on the road by eight." They'd decided to drive instead of fly. Emmett had insisted that they not fly because it would bring up bad memories of his tragic flight with George. Grudgingly, Ted had agreed to be the driver.

As they got into bed, Ted and Blake got out of the their clothes, using their body heat to keep each other warm. Ted turned out the light and closed his eyes. He felt Blake shift closer to him and suddenly a hand was rubbing his tender area. "I thought you were tired," Ted said. Despite his protestations, he gasped with pleasure.

"I was. Now I need to be worn out," Blake replied, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Well in that case..." Ted laughed and moved into position.

* * *

When the alarm clock went off, Ted immediately turned it off. He fell back against the pillow and closed his eyes. Despite their best intentions, he and Blake had stayed up too late making love. At the moment, Ted wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep but he knew that Emmett and Calvin would be waiting for him at the their apartment and if he didn't get up now, Emmett would bitch and complain all the way to Canada. Slowly, he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, not that it helped. Outside, the sun had barely risen. _Emmett's definitely going to be driving back_, Ted decided as he got in the shower.

By the time he'd showered and gotten dressed, Blake was sitting up in bed drinking coffee. "I made some coffee. I saved you some," he said as he caught Ted's eye. "It's still in the pot."

"Thanks," Ted grumbled. The only thing that could possibly wake him up at the moment was coffee. "I'll go get the car packed up while you get ready." The day before, he'd rented a van so that they could fit all of their bags in the car, knowing that Emmett would bring as many bags as possible.

"Okay." Blake jumped in the shower and quickly washed his body. He threw on some clean clothes and met Ted down at the car.

"All set?" Ted asked. He'd gotten some coffee in his system and was more alert now.

"Yep," Blake replied, getting the passenger seat. "I can't wait."

"Me neither."

On the way, Ted called Emmett. "We're on our way right now. Be ready when we get there."

"We will," Emmett promised. "See you in a few."

"Yeah." Ted hung up and shook his head. "He says they'll be ready when we get there. How much do you want to bet that they won't be?"

"You know Emmett better than anybody. If you think he won't be ready then I'll agree with you. Besides, I don't think I could afford it if you were right."

"I wouldn't make you pay up," Ted confessed. "Unless your method of payment was somehow sexual." He waggled his eyebrows at Blake and they both burst out laughing. It felt good to be out of the apartment doing something together; almost like their honeymoon. Except that Emmett and Calvin would be there too, but Ted didn't mind.

He pulled outside Emmett and Calvin's apartment building. They were nowhere in sight. Sighing, he honked the horn a couple of times. Normally, he'd take into consideration that it was still fairly early in the morning and most people were still asleep, but he was not in the mood to play games. After a few minutes, Ted leaned on the horn again. The door opened and Emmett stepped out juggling too many bags to count. "Jesus Christ," Ted muttered under his breath. "I told him not to bring his whole closet so what does he do? He does it anyway." Emmett lugged the bags over to the van and set them down so he could open the door.

"At least we have room," Blake said, hoping to calm Ted down so that he wouldn't say anything to hurt Emmett's feelings.

Emmett threw his bags in the back and got into the van. "Calvin's on his way," he said, buckling his seatbelt. He fished around in the bag lying at his feet for a second. "Got it," he announced triumphantly.

"Got what?" Ted asked, catching his eye in the rearview mirror.

"Well a road trip isn't a road trip without some tunes. And I knew that there were no better tunes for our little trip than some Barbra." He held out a CD for Ted to inspect. "I just bought that last night."

"The Essential Barbra Streisand," Ted read aloud. "Not bad, Em. Look, it's even got our song on it."

"What song?" Blake asked. He hadn't even known that Ted listened to anything but opera.

"People," Ted and Emmett said in unison. Looking at each other, they started giggling.

"I love that song!" Blake exclaimed.

"What gay man doesn't?" Emmett inquired rhetorically.

"Brian," Ted muttered.

Calvin finally made it to the car. "Sorry," he apologized. "My boss. I told him I needed to go but he wouldn't let me get off the phone."

"Don't worry about it," Ted replied with a shrug. "No sense stressing about something you can't control." Blake laughed quietly. Ted had been on the verge of anger less than five minutes before but now he was back to usual semi-chipper self. Barbra had that effect on people.

"So, what are we listening to?" Calvin asked, joining Emmett in the back.

"The fabulous Barbra Streisand," Emmett answering. "I also brought the Best of Liza Minnelli."

"It's a good thing Brian's not coming with us," Ted said, starting the engine and popping in the Barbra CD. "He'd be bitching about our music before we even left the city."

"Fuck him," Emmett exclaimed. "If he doesn't like Barbra or Liza what good is he?"

"Is that your criteria?" Calvin asked. "In order to matter in life you have like Barbra and Liza?"

"Not exactly," Emmett admitted, "but it does help."

"Well then, I guess it's a good thing I got that gay gene, huh?"

"I guess so." They started to kiss, their hands began groping each other. A moan escaped Emmett's lips as one hand slid down the front of his pants and the other pinched his nipple.

"Cut it out!" Ted ordered. "I am not going to listen to the sound of you two moaning and groaning back there all the way to Canada." He turned up the volume on the radio to drown out the offensive sounds.

Emmett and Calvin stopped and leaned back in their seats. "Sorry," Emmett said, guiltily casting his eyes down. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," he muttered, even though Ted wouldn't be able to hear him anyway with the radio blaring next to him.

"So," Blake said to break the tension, "anybody know any good car games?"

* * *

Michael hummed as he sat down at the table. He was in a very good mood that morning thanks to a wonderful night of making love with Ben. Across the table, Ben sat reading the newspaper. Neither one wanted to break the comfortable silence in the room; there was nothing to say. Michael ate his bowl of Cap'n Crunch contentedly. It was a Sunday. He didn't have to go into work, which meant that he and Ben could spend the day together doing nothing.

Hesitantly, Hunter came down the stairs. They hadn't seen much of him in the past few days as he'd been over at Lexi's even more than usual. He made his way to the door and just as he put his hand on the knob, Michael called, "Hold it." _Jesus, I sound like my mother,_ he thought. _It's happening more and more often!_ Slowly, Hunter turned and fixed a bright smile on his face. "Sit down," Michael ordered.

"I'm not hungry," Hunter said, still standing in the open doorway.

"I don't care. Sit down," Michael reiterated.

Sighing morosely, Hunter complied. Ben put down his newspaper and folded his hands neatly on the tabletop. "What's this about?" Hunter asked. He hoped that Ben and Michael wouldn't keep him for long, he had a date with Lexi and didn't want to be late.

"We need to talk," Ben said, taking over from Michael.

"What about?" Hunter swallowed nervously. Surely they wouldn't be mad that he was out with Lexi all the time would they?

"College," Michael managed around his mouthful of Cap'n Crunch. "Registration for classes is coming up." Hunter hadn't told them about his intentions to attend Allegheny Community College will Lexi in the fall.

Before Hunter could speak, Ben interjected. "We don't want to tell you that you have to go to college or else. But we are going to stress the importance of getting an education."

"You guys don't have to worry," Hunter replied. He relaxed, knowing that he wasn't in trouble.

"We don't?" Michael asked, raising his eyebrows. Ben shot him a warning look.

"No. I applied to Allegheny Community," Hunter said simply, smiling satisfactorily.

"You did?" Ben smiled. Michael froze, his spoon halfway to his mouth.

"Yep." Hunter shrugged.

"You're going to my old college?" Michael asked. He had attended Allegheny for three semesters but had had to drop out in order to help his mother pay for his Uncle's Vic's hospital bills and medication. He'd always intended to go back but had it had never happened.

"I got accepted," Hunter confirmed.

Michael and Ben jumped out their seats and smothered Hunter in a hug. "Congratulations!" Michael exclaimed, kissing Hunter's cheek.

"Ew!" Hunter yelled, jokingly. He wiped his cheek vigorously.

"Here's one more," Ben said, kissing the other cheek.

"You guys are crazy!" They burst out into laughter.

"When do you have to go in for orientation?" Michael asked.

"Not until the first week of August. I have plenty of time."

"Do you need help with student loans or anything? I could look some up for you online," Ben offered.

"That's okay. I already filled out my FAFSA forms and applied for some scholarships. Between that and what I made working at the diner I should be able to pretty much cover everything. That is unless I have to stay on campus." He looked at both Ben and Michael pleadingly.

"Of course not!" Michael said. "Ware you crazy! Why would we make you live on campus?"

"I don't know," Hunter shrugged. "Maybe you want the house to yourselves..."

"Hunter," Ben said, putting his hands on Hunter's shoulders. "We adopted you for a reason. We love you more than anything. You can stay here as long as you want."

"Thanks guys." Hunter gave them both a quick hug.

They all sat down at the table and Ben slid a plate of pancakes over to Hunter. "So what classes are you going to go take?" he asked.

"I don't know yet. Right now I'm just focused on general studies," Hunter replied. He'd spent a lot of time since graduation thinking about what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Before Michael and Ben, he'd never really had the opportunity to even think about it. Being a hustler brought in money, but having food and shelter had been more important. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he'd one day go to college.

"You should do writing," Michael suggested. "You'd love it."

"Or teaching," Ben continued.

"Or I could do what _I_ want," Hunter interjected.

"And what is that?"

Hunter frowned pensively. "To be honest, I don't know. I never thought I'd get to be anything other than a hustler. But now everything's changed and it's all a bit much right now."

"We know," Ben assured him. "But you'll do just fine. You're hardworking and smart."

"And determined," Michael added. "The keys to success."

"It's going to take some getting used to. Once I get settled in I'll choose a major."

"I think that's very smart." Ben smiled reassuringly. "You never know what could happen once you get there. I had plenty of friends who changed their minds about what they wanted to do once they started college. This way, you can decide as you go along and do what's right for you."

"And we'll help in any way that we can," Michael continued. "College is expensive and you don't want to rack up too much in student debts. With the economy the way it is, who knows when you'll be able to pay them off."

"You guys are the best," Hunter said, genuinely thankful. "It's good to know that there are people out there who love me and will do anything to help me."

"That's us, pal," Ben proclaimed. "No matter what, we'll always be here for you."

Hunter gave them each a smile before he stood up. "Sorry to ditch like this but I have plans with Lexi, so..."

"One more thing," Michael asserted, motioning for Hunter to sit back down.

"Yeah?" _What is it now?_

"We have something for you," Michael resumed, reaching into the pocket of his jeans. He handed Hunter an envelope. "Open it."

Tentatively, Hunter ripped the envelope open and pulled out a card. It was a graduation card from Ben and Michael. He read the cover and opened the card to read the inside. Something fell out and flitted to the floor. Hunter leaned over and picked it up, turning the paper over in his hands. His heart leapt into his throat. The paper was a ticket for Disney World. "You didn't..." he began, shocked speechless.

"We did," Ben confirmed.

"How?"

"I talked to my mom and she said this is what you'd want. The six of us are going next week. Ben and I took it off from work," Michael expounded.

Hunter was still in utter shock. He had a rough idea of what a trip for six to Disney World cost and there was no way that they could afford it. So how had they? "Wow, I can't believe it," he said, smiling.

"Do you like it?" Michael asked. He hadn't expected Hunter to react quite the way that he had.

"I love it. But how did you guys afford to do this?" Money wasn't exactly tight in the Novotny-Bruckner household but between Ben and Michael's incomes, it still didn't equal out.

"Don't worry about it," Michael told him. "It's our graduation present to you."

"I can't..."

"Do you want to call my mom explain to her why her vacation to Florida is going to cancelled?" Michael asked, arching his eyebrows.

"No way," Hunter answered quickly. He loved Debbie, but he knew that when she was pissed off that it was best to stay out of her way. "So, we're really going?" he asked, laughing in disbelief.

"We're going," Ben confirmed.

"That is, if you can tear yourself away from Lexi long enough to go," Michael teased.

"I think I can manage that." Hunter chuckled. "Thank you so much!" He gave Ben and Michael another hug and ran upstairs.

"Where are you going?" Michael called after him.

"To pack!" Hunter replied.

"Here we go," Ben muttered, laughing happily.

"What about your date with Lexi?" Michael asked.

Hunter raced back down the stairs and out the door. Michael and Ben shook their heads.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin bond with Gus.


	51. Stepford Fags

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin got Gus for the whole summer.

* * *

Chapter Fifty

Brian took the next few days off from work so that he could spend more time with Justin and Gus. He'd been working a lot the past few weeks and felt guilty. He had a family now and that had to take precedence over his work no matter what.

Gus had gotten them up early. Fortunately, they'd all gone to bed earlier than usual the night before. They sat at the table eating breakfast when a thought came to Brian. "How about we go horseback riding?" he suggested, breaking the silence. He hadn't been out since the time he and Justin had snuck off before dawn a few weeks back and was eager for Gus to get used to his pony.

"Yeah!" Gus shouted, throwing his hands up in the air excitedly. Brian had been promising to take him horseback riding since he'd bought the house back in the spring, he just hadn't had the time.

"What about you?" Brian asked Justin, who was quietly sipping his coffee. "Do you want to come with us?"

"Sure," Justin shrugged. He had enjoyed his last endeavor with the horse and didn't mind doing in again, as long as he had Brian there to control the horse. "If you want me to come."

"Of course I want you to come. It's no fun if I don't have you quivering in the saddle in front of me," Brian teased.

"I was not quivering!" Justin insisted, playfully swiping at Brian, who easily dodged it. "I was a little scared, that's all."

"You'll do better this time," Brian assured him. "The first time is always the worst." Justin couldn't help but pick up on the sexual innuendo. Brian had a way of working them into even the most mundane conversations.

"Yes it is," he agreed with a wry smile. "I'm looking forward to trying again."

While Brian showered, Justin helped Gus get dressed. It was supposed to be a fairly warm day and thankfully Lindsay had packed plenty of t-shirts and shorts. Leaving Gus to brush his teeth, Justin joined Brian in the shower. "Can I get in?" he asked.

"Come on in." Brian moved over so that Justin could get under the stream of water. As it washed over his face, he could feel the grogginess wash away with the previous days' grime.

Showered and ready to go, they walked out to the stables. Gus's chocolate brown pony had grown a bit recently but it was still the right size, thankfully. Brian had bought a smaller bridle and saddle for the pony but that had yet to be used. Strapping the saddle on, Brian lifted Gus up into the mount, handing him the reigns. "Hold on to these tightly," he said. "Don't let them go for any reason, okay?"

"Okay." Gus held the reigns firmly in his hands. Brian opened the door to the stall and gently led the pony out.

Justin let the mare out of the other stall and fitted on the saddle, climbing up. "Not bad," Brian commented with a whistle. He joined Justin in the saddle and urged the horse into a slow trot. Gus copied his father and the pony started moving. "Remember Gus, don't let go of the reigns," Brian reminded him. "If you start to get scared just yell for me and I'll help you down."

The horses slowly entered the meadow. Justin had been expecting Gus to be holding on for dear life, tears streaming down his cheeks, but instead he was calmly holding the reigns, eyes wandering throughout the clearing. _Just like his father,_ he thought. _Fearless_. He rested his head back against Brian's chest and sighed contentedly. He was having such a good time with Brian and Gus that he never wanted to the summer to end, knowing that Gus would have to go back home until Christmas at the earliest. Not even the knowledge that a new addition would soon be coming into their house was enough to abate Justin's grief. He didn't want Gus to go back home; he wished that Melanie and Lindsay hadn't moved to Canada, so that he and Brian could have Gus whenever they wanted, not only on school breaks.

When the meadow vanished behind them and woods sprang up all around Brian pulled on the reigns, halting the horse. He jumped down onto the ground and held out his hand. Justin took it and stepped down. Gus had stopped his horse, too and waited patiently for Brian to make his way over. Lifting Gus up, Brian carried him over to the mare before handing him to Justin. "What are you doing?" Justin asked.

"I'm taking him for a ride on the big horse," Brian explained, climbing back up into the saddle. Justin passed Gus back to Brian and went to grab the pony's reigns before it wandered off. "We'll be right back," Brian promised, coaxing the horse into a full gallop.

"Okay," Justin called after them. "I'll just sit here and...pick grass," he mumbled, sitting down.

Though Gus had been comfortable with his horse, he was absolutely terrified of Brian and Justin's. For one thing, this horse was much bigger than his and for another, they were going a lot faster than Gus had thought possible. He gripped the reigns so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Brian could tell that Gus was scared, so he protectively wrapped his arms around the boy, shielding him from harm. "It's okay Sonny Boy," he soothed, "daddy's got you."

The trees whipped past and Brian had to duck a few times to avoid a few low hanging branches. He hadn't gotten the opportunity to explore the woods yet, but figured that if he stayed on the path their chances of getting lost were pretty slim. As the horse continued to gallop down the path, Brian could see that its sides were coated with a thin sheen of sweat. _Better stop and give it a break before the thing has a heart attack_, he thought, pulling the reigns once more. Once the horse had come to a complete stop, Brian dropped down, grabbed Gus, and took the reigns, walking the horse up the path. He'd heard that there was a stream nearby and figured that once the mare got a little water in her, she'd be ready to head back.

The path continued for awhile and eventually they came upon the stream. The horse stuck its snout in the cool water and began to lap it up. "Are you thirsty?" Brian asked Gus, sitting on a rock. Gus shook his head. "Good, we don't know how safe that water is for us to drink and I don't really want to chance it." Gus sat down next to Brian and watched the horse drinking. "I'd better call Justin and let him know what's going on," Brian decided as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Justin's number. It rang once before cutting out. "Shit," Brian muttered. No signal. Gus looked up at Brian, his brows knit. "It's okay," Brian assured him, "the call won't go through."

The horse sated its thirst and they headed back. _It's a good thing I decided to go on this little adventure in the morning and not late afternoon, otherwise we'd be lost in the dark_, Brian thought sourly. When they finally came out of the woods and into the meadow, Brian was relieved to see Justin sitting where they'd left him. "There you are." He jumped to his feet. "I was starting to think that you got lost."

"Sorry, dear," Brian said, grinning facetiously. "The horse got thirsty so we stopped and let it rest. I tried to call on your cell but there's no reception out there. You weren't being a drama queen again, were you?"

"No," Justin lied. "I was just getting a little nervous." He ran his fingers through his hair.

"I'm sorry," Brian repeated, getting off of the horse. He crossed to Justin and took him in his arms. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I know. I was just being over dramatic," Justin replied. "You weren't even gone that long." They shared a quick kiss. "Let's go home now, okay?"

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be," Brian said simply.

By the time they got home, their legs were sore. Gus had stayed on the horse, but Brian and Justin had led the horses back to the house. "You take Gus inside, I'll deal with the horses," Brian said, taking the reigns for the pony from Justin. He went into the stables and led the horses back into their stalls. Before he left, he gave them both some water and hay. Overall, the excursion had gone pretty well. Brian looked forward to doing it again.

In the kitchen, Justin was fixing lunch. Brian realized for the first time that he was hungry. _Must be all that adrenaline_, he thought, dipping a finger in sauce Justin was making. "Hey!" Justin exclaimed, slapping at Brian's hand. Laughing, Brian grabbed Justin's arm and spun him around, wrapping his arms around him. Justin realized that struggling was futile and let himself relax, safe in the comfort of Brian's hold. Brian started to kiss Justin's neck, causing him to shiver in delight. "We can't," Justin whispered.

"I know," Brian replied, lips working their way down to Justin's collar.

"Then why are you doing this?" Justin's eyes were closed in ecstasy. As much as he was protesting, the one thing he wanted more than anything in the world at that moment was for Brian to rip his clothes off and make love to him on the kitchen floor.

"I'm giving you a preview," Brian explained. Justin laughed as Brian's tongue snaked out and massaged the inside of his ear.

Gus came into the room and paused in the doorway. He was used to seeing his mothers being affectionate toward each other, but never quite like this. Brian heard Gus come in and turned to face him. Justin quickly untangled himself from Brian's arms and went back to stir the food. "I hope you're hungry Sonny Boy," Brian said casually. "Lunch is almost ready." Gus just smiled.

* * *

The next day, Brian had the pool opened. He would have done it himself, but he didn't know how. Plus, he'd rather pay someone else to do it for him. It was so hot outside that he turned the air conditioning on for the first time. "Are they almost done?" Justin asked Brian. He'd been dying to go for a swim since they'd moved into the house and now that it was boiling hot outside, he wanted it more than ever.

"About ten more minutes," Brian answered, pouring himself a glass of water. "Why, are you hot?"

"Who could be hot with the air conditioning on?" Justin retorted, snatching Brian's glass and gulping half of the water down.

"Then what's your hurry?" Brian took his glass back and refilled it. "You're worse than Gus. He's only asked me twice about the pool."

"I don't know, I just want to go for a swim that's all," Justin said, crossing his arms defensively. "I'm sorry if I've been a bit of a nag."

Brian crossed over to Justin. "You haven't been." Justin arched his eyebrows. "Much of one," Brian amended.

"You're a really good liar," Justin joked, planting a kiss on Brian's bottom lip. "It's a good thing you have better talents."

"I guess so." Brian smacked Justin's ass. Outside the guys taking care of the pool stopped and watched the interaction between Brian and Justin.

"They're watching us," Justin said, noticing that everyone outside had frozen and was standing open-mouthed.

"You'd think they'd never seen two fags before," Brian retorted staring back at the men. "What do you say we give them a show?"

"Here?" Justin asked, laughing.

"Why not?"

"Gus for one."

"He's upstairs watching TV," Brian reminded him. "Besides, if he comes down, we'll hear him."

"I guess..." Brian spun Justin around so that his back was to the island. Kneeling down, Brian undid Justin's zipper, pulling his pants down around his ankles. He took Justin in his mouth.

Justin gasped and rolled his head back. He could just imagine the look on the workers' faces now, their jaws were probably hanging down to ground, while their eyes were wider than saucers. _Fuck them_, he thought. If they couldn't handle a little gay sex, they deserved an education.

When Brian finished, Justin slowly pulled his pants back up and grabbed a tray. He put a pitcher of lemonade and a couple paper cups on the tray as well and stepped out onto the patio. "Any of you guys want some lemonade?" he asked. No one answered right away, though one of the men did catch his eye and give him a little wink. _Wow, I should've seen that one coming_, he thought wryly. He repeated the question.

"Sure," the guys said in unison. Justin poured them all a cup and let them take it off the tray.

"It's really hot out here, you guys must be baking in those long sleeves."

"We're fine," one the workers said testily.

Grinning to himself, Justin went back into the house. Brian was sitting at the table laughing. "They enjoyed the show," Justin told him, sitting down in the next seat over.

"Really?" Brian asked. He hated it when straight people stared at them like they were something from another planet. That's why he always made a scene when he caught them doing it, like the time after his father had died that he and Michael went bowling and two straight guys were snickering at them. He'd grabbed Michael in his arms after getting a strike and kissed him passionately, spinning him around.

"One of them even winked at me," Justin continued.

"That bastard!" Brian jokingly exclaimed, getting up from his chair. "Which one was it?" he asked.

Justin joined Brian by the French doors and nodded at the worker. "He's kind of cute," Justin mused. Brian smacked his shoulder. "I mean, he's a total dog." He slung his arm around Brian.

"You'd better say that," Brian mumbled.

One of the workers came and knocked on the door. Brian opened it and crossed his arms.

"We're done," the man said, avoiding eye contact. Brian's lips twisted into a mischievous grin as the man handed him the invoice and hurried to catch up with his friends.

"Well that certainly got a rise out of them," he said, shutting the door. "He couldn't even look me in the face." _I love straight people_, he thought sarcastically.

"Oh, well. At least they didn't say anything. Then you would've shown them just how much of a wallop a fag can pack."

"True."

They called for Gus to come downstairs. He came running down dressed in a pair of swimming trunks. "Can we swim now?" he asked, looking jumping up and down with elation.

"In a minute," Brian replied. "I have to get changed."

"I can't wait to see you in your swimming trunks," Justin said as they went upstairs to change. "I bet you're going to look hot." Just imagining it was getting him aroused.

"Then, you bet right," Brian retorted, stepping out of his pants. Justin couldn't help but use the opportunity to catch a peak at Brian's dick. _God, you'd think that with all the times I've seen it I'd quit being so fascinated with it._

"Uh huh," Justin agreed, licking his lips as he took off his pants. Brian's eyes darted between his legs and a tight smile tugged at his lips.

Despite the fact that all they wanted at that moment was to make love, they grudgingly put on their swimming trunks and headed back downstairs to the pool. Brian dove right in, embracing the coldness that gripped his body once he was submerged in the water. When he surfaced, Justin watched him expectantly. "How is it?" he asked.

"It's cold," Brian admitted. The pool wasn't heated, but he didn't care at the moment. Eventually it would be warm.

"How cold?" Justin sat down at the edge and slipped his feet in. Immediately he yanked them back up and gasped. "It's freezing!" he exclaimed.

"It'll heat up," Brian promised. "Just let the sun work its magic."

Gus didn't know how to swim, so Justin helped him into a pair of inflatable wings. "Are you sure you want to go in there Gus?" he asked.

"Yes," Gus answered, jumping in. A few seconds later, he surfaced and coughed.

"Did you breath in while you were underwater?" Brian asked, drifting next to Gus, who nodded. "You can't do that, you'll drown."

"I forgot," Gus confessed. Brian nodded and ruffled his hair.

"Just be more careful. We don't want anything bad to happen to you." He turned to look at Justin. "Well, aren't you going to come in?" he asked.

"Maybe once it warms up," Justin replied, holding his arms around himself to fight the shivers he'd gotten just from dipping his feet in.

"Come on," Brian coaxed, swimming over to the edge. "I'll keep you warm." He grinned devilishly.

"Okay." Justin relented and sat back down, slowly dipping his feet in.

When Justin was least expecting it, Brian reached out and pulled him into the pool. They both disappeared under the surface in a loud splash. Underwater, Brian took Justin in his arms and propelled them to the surface. "See, it's not so bad, is it?" he asked once they had surfaced.

"It isn't?" Justin's teeth were chattering. "It's like the Arctic in here!"

"Not for long," Brian soothed. "After a few minutes you'll adjust. I don't feel it anymore."

"You're right," Justin said as he slowly started to warm up. "It isn't so bad."

Up on the patio, Brian's cell phone chirped. Sighing, he swam over to the stairs and got out, hurriedly wrapping a towel around himself to keep from getting too cold. He grabbed the cell phone from the table and answered it. "Hello."

"Hey Brian." It was Michael. He sounded like he was in a good mood, which was always a plus for Brian. He hated it when Michael was upset.

"Mikey," he said by way of greeting.

"What are you up to?" Michael asked. "I miss you."

"We opened up the pool," Brian answered. He looked over his shoulder to see that Justin and Gus were happily splashing each other.

"Really? It's so hot here," Michael complained. "We turned the A.C. on but it isn't helping. I think it's broken or something. Ben's been trying to fix it all day but nothing seems to be working. It's like a goddamn sauna in here."

Brian got an idea. "Why don't you guys come out here? The pool's big enough for all of us."

"I thought you'd never ask. We'll be right there," Michael replied.

"Don't forget your bathing suits," Brian reminded him. "You can stay for dinner, too. I was going to fire up the grill and make burgers."

"You making burgers?" Michael laughed. "This I have to see. I am so there."

"See you in a bit."

"Bye."

Brian disconnected and got back into the pool. "Who was that?" Justin asked.

"Michael. They're coming over for dinner and a swim." He was glad that he'd get to see Michael since they hadn't gotten much time to hang out on Brian's birthday.

"Cool. Did I hear you say that you're going to fire up the grill?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"No reason. It's just I didn't know that you knew how to use a grill."

"It doesn't take a genius to work a grill," Brian grumbled.

"Oh, no?" Justin playfully splashed some water in Brian's face.

"You're going to get it!" Brian growled, splashing Justin back. They started splashing each other and Gus joined in. Before the fight was over, they were all sore from laughing so hard.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Michael and Ben come over for a barbeque where hilarity ensues.


	52. Barbeque

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin opened their pool. After Michael called complaining about the heat, they invited him over for a barbeque and a swim.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-One

After their refreshing swim, Brian and Justin set Gus up with a movie in his room and took a shower. They knew they'd be swimming again once Michael and Ben showed up, but wanted to wash the chlorine smell off, even if for only a little while. "What time are they supposed to come over?" Justin asked, soaping Brian's back.

"Four or five. Michael said that Ben had to finish some work first," Brian replied.

"They must be going out of their minds with this heat."

"It is pretty hot out there. Thankfully we've got air conditioning that works."

"And a pool."

"I guess it's a good thing we decided to open it today."

"Yeah."

"Gus'll be happy to have 'Uncle Michael' come over."

"It'll be nice to hang out with them," Justin agreed, working the soap down Brian's back.

"Yeah. We used to hang out all the time. Practically ever day. But now we both have other things occupying our time."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Justin turned so that Brian could do his back.

"Definitely good. There are things I do to you that I could never do to Michael," Brian said, grinning mischievously.

"There was a time that you could have."

"No, I never would have fucked him."

"What about that time you jerked him off in his bedroom?" Justin challenged.

Brian chuckled. "That was a long time ago," he whispered into Justin's ear.

"Still." Justin spun around to face him, trying hard not to smile.

"I was horny. He had a woody."

"And?"

"It never would have gone further than that. Everybody knows you don't sleep with your friends."

"It is a general rule. Although, I did sleep with Daphne," Justin mused.

"What's with the sudden reminiscence about me and Michael?" Brian asked, knitting his brows.

Justin shrugged. "I don't know."

"You're not jealous of my best friend, are you?" Brian could sense trouble brewing.

"Are you kidding me?" Justin laughed. "I don't care. That was years before we met. Besides, I know that you love Michael. Just not as much a much as you love me. And I'm glad that you haven't changed so much that you revolve your life around me and forget all about the other people in your life."

"Then why the inquisition?"

"I was just wondering why you chose me over Michael, that's all."

Brian pulled Justin into a tight embrace. "I didn't choose you over anybody. You chose me."

"I stalked you till you had no choice," Justin added.

"You certainly knew what you were doing. Do you know how many of my former tricks tried to turn it into something more? After I told them that it was just sex and it didn't mean anything, they left. But I couldn't have gotten rid of you no matter what I did. I'm sure if I would've gotten that job in New York, you would've followed me."

"I probably would have," Justin agreed. "I saw what I wanted and I decided that I was going to have you no matter how long it took. Lucky for me, it paid off.

"Lucky me." Brian leaned down and pressed his lips against Justin's.

"But I knew you loved me. Even from the very beginning," Justin continued.

"How?" Brian pulled back, brows knit.

"You told me."

"When?"

"The first time we made love."

Brian chewed his lip. "I don't remember." The details about that night were still a little sketchy. He remembered picking Justin up outside of Bablyon and taking him home. Once they got there, he'd been in the process of giving Justin a hand job when Melanie had called to tell him that Lindsay had had the baby. Excitedly, he'd called Michael and when he'd learned that Justin had nowhere to go, had taken him along, too. After that, however, everything got fuzzy. Except of course the sex.

"It was right before you came," Justin explained.

"I was high," Brian argued jokingly.

"You still said it."

"I didn't know what I was doing."

"I remember. You did handstands and juggled. Poorly, I might add."

"And made a mess of the living room," Brian added.

"We've made worse since."

"So you really knew all along?"

"No," Justin admitted. "But you weren't going to get a choice in the matter."

Laughing, Brian shut off the water and grabbed the towels. "Well, if it helps my case any, you know that I did love you from the beginning."

"I know, you told me." Justin kissed Brian on the cheek. "Even if you were a total dick."

"I was not a total dick," Brian said with mock irritation.

"Just a bit."

"Yeah." Brian took Justin in his arms again. "But I'm really glad that you never gave up on me."

"Me, too." They kissed again, more passionately this time. Brian's hands started to move down Justin's waist, causing him to shiver with delight.

Mustering all the strength he had, Justin broke the kiss before it turned into something more. "We need to go get ready for dinner," he reminded Brian softly.

"Can't it wait just a little while?" Brian whined jokingly.

"After Michael and Ben leave we can pick this up, okay?"

"Okay." Brian sighed.

After getting dressed, Brian went in to check on Gus. The boy was so involved in his movie that he didn't even hear him come in. "Hey Gus," he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

Gus's head turned at the sound of Brian's voice and a smile lit up his face. "Watch the move with me, Daddy!" he said, laughing jubilantly.

"I wish I could, Sonny Boy, but I have to go to the store and get some stuff for dinner. Do you want to come?"

"Yes!" Gus jumped off of the bed and turned the television off.

"Okay." Brian couldn't help but smile at Gus's fervor. "Let's get you dressed, then." Brian pulled out a shirt and shorts for Gus to wear. Helping him out of the pajamas that he'd insisted on wearing after swimming, Brian handed him the new clothes. "Can you do it by yourself?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Okay. I'm going to go find out what else we need. I'll meet you downstairs."

Brian found Justin down in the kitchen, looking through the refrigerator. "Looking for something?" he asked.

"Lettuce. I was thinking that since you're going to make burgers, a nice salad would be nice, too."

"Mmmm I love your creamy salads," Brian said devilishly.

"I know." Justin laughed. "That's why I'm making one."

"Good." Brian grinned. "Gus and I are going to run to the store and pick up some things for dinner. I'll grab a bag of lettuce for you."

"Make it two."

"All right."

"You should probably get some dressing, too. And some potatoes.

"Potatoes?"

"For baked potatoes."

"Are you trying to kill me?" Brian teased.

"Only with kindness." Justin stood up on his tiptoes and kissed Brian softly.

Brian returned the kiss. "I'd better get going," he said, grabbing his keys. "They'll be here in an hour."

"I'm ready!" Gus cried, running into the room.

"Good boy." Brian picked Gus up and tickled him.

"Bye guys," Justin said, laughing joyously.

"Bye dear." Brian smiled warmly and waved. "See you in a bit."

* * *

Michael could barely contain his excitement on the way to Brian and Justin's. He was talking a mile a minute and if Ben didn't love him as much as he did and didn't have the patience of a saint, he would've gone out of his mind. Instead, he found the whole thing amusing. He knew that Michael had been missing Brian lately and was glad that they'd get the opportunity to hang out together and catch up. Seeing Michael so happy was a pleasant reward. "Can you believe that Brian's going to cook for us! He never cooks. I don't even think he knows how to use a grill," Michael said, not even stopping to take a breath.

"I'm sure he'll figure it out," Ben assured him.

"You know, this is only the second time we've been over to the new house. It's going to take some getting used to. I miss the loft. He lived there for over a decade and I loved that place. It so cool and, and…so Brian."

"What, you don't think the new house isn't Brian?" Ben queried.

"It is, but it's more Justin."

"He bought the house to make Justin happy."

"I know and I'm glad that he did. Remember how crazy he was while they were broken up? He came over in the middle of the night, drunk, and started accusing me of infecting Justin and breaking them up." Michael's stomach knotted up at the memory. He and Brian hadn't spoken for a while after that and it had taken the threat of nearly dying to bring him around.

"You're awfully wound up," Ben noted, quickly taking his eyes off the road to look over at Michael. Debbie had let them borrow her car for the day and Ben had volunteered to drive.

"I know." Michael shrugged. "I guess I'm just excited to be spending time with Brian. It's like we don't even see each other anymore."

"I'm sure it's just because he's got Gus right now and wants to spend as much time as he can with him before he has to go home."

"Yeah." Michael sighed. _I wish I could have J.R. for the summer._

Reading his mind, Ben reached over and squeezed his hand. "In a couple more years, you'll get J.R. for the summer," he said.

"A couple of years is a long time away," Michael grumbled.

"We'll see her soon," Ben reminded him. "They're coming down for the Fourth of July."

"It can't come fast enough."

"I know."

Ben pulled up the driveway and parked next to Brian's Corvette. As soon as the car stopped moving, Michael was out. He grabbed the bottle of booze they'd brought for the occasion. Grinning broadly, he stepped up onto the porch and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal Justin. "Hey guys," he said cheerily.

"Hi." Michael gave him a quick hug. Ben smiled and hugged him, too.

"No Hunter?" Justin looked out at the empty porch.

"He wanted to stay home and spend time with Lexi," Ben explained.

"But I like it this way. It's just the four of us," Michael interjected. "It can be like a…."

"Double date?" Brian interrupted, coming down the stairs "Mikey, you are so pathetic."

Despite Brian's insult, Michael immediately perked up. He was used to Brian calling him pathetic. It was practically a term of endearment. "Hey" Michael hugged Brian fiercely.

"Glad you could make it," Brian whispered into his ear.

"Me, too."

"And Professor," Brian turned to face Ben, "you look lovely today."

"Thanks, Brian." Ben laughed. "So do you."

"This is for you." Michael held out the bottle of booze.

"How thoughtful, Mikey. My favorite. Thanks."

"You're welcome. But it's for dinner so don't drink it all now."

"Fine." Brian sighed. "Well since Justin made the salad already and the potatoes were just put in the oven, how about we go for a quick dip in the pool?"

"Sounds good to me!"

Michael and Ben changed into their swimming trunks and met the others out at the pool. "Uncle Michael!" Gus cried, seeing Michael for the first time. He threw himself into Michael's arms.

"Hey big boy! How are you?" Michael hugged him tightly. He'd often spent time with Gus when he was younger. He'd been more of a father to him than Brian had been.

"Come swim with me," Gus pleaded.

"How could I say no to such a cute face." Michael allowed Gus to lead him into the water. Thankfully, it was cool. "Ah, this is nice," he sighed, settling into the water.

"What do you think is wrong with your air conditioning?" Justin asked.

"I don't know but it's way too hot not to have it working."

"It's not supposed to cool down until tomorrow," Brian said, splashing Michael.

"Are you kidding me?" Michael groaned.

"We're going to have to figure something out," Ben mused. "Fans don't help at all."

Brian caught Justin's eye and smiled. Justin nodded in understanding. "Why don't you guys stay here tonight?" Brian asked.

"Are you sure? I mean, we wouldn't want to impose…" Michael started.

"It's not a big deal. We'll make up the guest room. You'll have your own bathroom."

"Sounds good to me."

"And that way, you can have all the booze you want tonight."

"Even better," Ben joked.

"It's settled, then."

The swim rejuvenated them all. "I'm going to go take care of the potatoes," Justin announced, drying himself off with a towel.

"I'll help," Ben said, following him.

"Thanks."

"And I have to go get the burger ready."

"I'll start the grill," Michael offered.

"Okay. I'll be right back." Brian followed the others back into the house.

Michael opened the top of the grill and frowned. It wasn't a regular grill as he'd expected. It was a charcoal grill. No propane at all. He'd never used a charcoal grill before. _Nice._ Looking around, he spotted a bottle of lighter fluid nearby. He picked it up and squeezed a bit onto the charcoal. He took the lighter next to the grill and used it to light the fire. Immediately the charcoal was aflame. _There, that wasn't so hard._ The flames didn't last long, though.

Confusedly, Michael poured some more fluid in and lit it. The fire burned for a minute or so before dying out again. _What the hell!_ Michael's cheeked burned with irritation as he repeated the action again. As before, the fire went out. Pissed off now, Michael squeezed the bottle until a generous amount of lighter fluid gushed out.

Brian came up behind him. "What the fuck are you doing?" he asked, eyebrow cocked inquisitively.

"I'm trying to get this damn thing to stay lit," Michael explained.

"Mikey…" Brian laughed. "How much lighter fluid did you put in there?"

"Almost the whole bottle." Why was that so funny?

"Christ, Mikey. The fire's supposed to go out. It heats up the charcoal enough the cook the meat."

"Oh." Michael's anger dissipated and was quickly replaced with embarrassment. He lowered his head to avoid Brian's gaze.

After a few seconds, Brian burst out into laughter. Michael couldn't help but join in.

Brian was surprisingly adept at grilling. He cooked the burgers to perfection, surprising even Justin. After dinner Justin did the dishes while Brian took Gus upstairs for bed. Michael and Ben offered to help clean up, but Justin refused. "You're our guests," he explained. "Go relax for a while."

"I hate to be a downer, but I'm exhausted." Ben yawned. "I think I'm going to go to bed early."

"I'm going to stay up for awhile," Michael told him.

"Okay." Ben gave him a quick kiss.

"Good night," Justin called.

"Good night."

When Brian came down the stairs, Michael was waiting. "I'm really glad that you invited us over," he said.

"It's been fun, Mikey," Brian agreed.

"Yeah, it has." They both started to laugh at the memory of the grill incident.

"How about we watch a movie?" Brian suggested when he'd regained his composure.

"Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"I've got just the perfect movie."

Michael was delighted when Brian turned on their favorite. _Dirty Dancing._ "Our movie!" he exclaimed.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Brian sat down on the couch and motioned for Michael to join him. "Patrick Swayze is so hot."

"We're not going there again," Michael warned him, laughing.

"And here I thought I was going to seduce you," Brian replied sarcastically.

"Sorry to spoil your plans."

Brian's smile vanished and he grew serious. "I love you, Mikey. Always remember that."

"I love you, too," Michael said confusedly.

"Even if we don't see each other all the time anymore, it doesn't mean that I don't think of you."

"Thanks for saying that." Michael felt a wave of giddiness wash over him. He'd been afraid that Brian was leaving him behind. It was nice to know that he wasn't.

Feeling much better, Michael rested his head on his best friend's shoulder. Together, they enjoyed the movie.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **In Toronto, the boys enjoy the nightlife. Emmett makes a new friend.**  
**


	53. Tequila Mockingbird

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** While visiting their friends in Pittsburgh, Melanie and Lindsay encouraged Emmett, Ted, and their partners to come and stay with them for a few days.

Emmett and Ted decided to take Mel and Linds up on their offer.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Two

Emmett was having a wonderful time in Canada. Despite the fact that Ted had been pretty grumpy the whole drive, once they got to Mel and Linds's house, he'd relaxed. Emmett and Calvin stayed in Gus's room while Ted and Blake got the guest bedroom. The new house was nicer than they one the girls had had in Pittsburgh, it was bigger and even had a basement. "Not bad," Emmett had said when he'd first been led through.

The first night had been entertaining. Lindsay had made dinner and afterward, they stayed up all night drinking, except for Melanie, who'd gone to bed with the baby. The next day, they went out sightseeing despite their horrendous hangovers and scouted out nightclubs and bars they wanted to check out while they were in town. Lindsay and Melanie couldn't recommend any because neither of them went out clubbing much, but they did show them a couple in the neighborhood. Emmett spotted an interesting gay club called Revolver. Even though it was early afternoon, he could already hear the thumpa thumpa resounding within the building. _Just think of all the fun we're going to have in there,_ he thought with a wicked grin.

In the window were posters advertising the upcoming Glamorous Glutes contest that Thursday. "Guys check this out," he said, motioning for the others to join him.

"Glamorous Glutes?" Ted scoffed. "What will they think of next?" He put his arm around Blake and started to walk away.

"I think we should check it out," Emmett admitted, following the group down the street

"Whatever you want," Calvin said, kissing Emmett's neck.

"Thanks baby."

"What for?" Ted asked. He didn't have the slightest interest in Glamorous Glutes or Glamorous anything for that matter. He was with Blake and that was enough.

"Uh...for fun," Emmett replied. "Remember when we used to go to all the Babylon contests? Absolute Abs, King of Babylon, Power Pecs?" He couldn't believe that Ted didn't want to go.

"Yeah, back when we were all single," Ted reminded him.

"Actually, I was the only single one, remember? The last time we went to the King of Babylon contest you were dating Blake." Ted turned and glared at him. Emmett stuck his tongue out.

Sighing, Ted held up his hands. "Fine, you want to go so bad? We'll go."

"Thanks." Emmett planted a wet kiss on Ted's cheek. "You're the best Teddy."

"Just don't expect us to go with you," Melanie said from behind them. She'd brought JR with her and was pushing the baby in a stroller.

"Oh come on Mel, you have to come!" Emmett insisted, pushing out his lower lip.

"I have to take care of the baby," she reminded him. "Take Lindsay."

"Me!" Lindsay squeaked, whirling to face Mel. "Why me? I don't like men!"

"You deserve a night out," Melanie answered. "Take advantage of it while you have someone to go out with."

"Please?" Emmett begged, folding his hands together.

"Okay," Lindsay gave in. "But only for a couple of hours. I'm not exactly going to fit in."

"Next time you're in Pittsburgh, I'll go to Dyke Night with you," Emmett promised. This seemed to appease Lindsay.

"Deal." They shook on it.

When they got back to the house, Lindsay put JR down for a nap. "How about we go out tonight?" Melanie suggested. "There's a great bar just around the corner. It's kind of like Woody's."

"Why not?" Ted replied, shrugging. He'd been eager to go to a bar since they'd left Pittsburgh.

"I'm in," Blake said, resting his head on Ted's shoulder.

"What about you two?" Melanie asked, turning toward Emmett and Calvin.

"Sure," Emmett answered. "But I'm buying." He felt obligated since he'd been the one to drink the most beers the night before.

"I'll drink to that," Mel cheered. _It's going to get pretty interesting tonight,_ Emmett thought, hiding a smile behind his hand. Hopefully Melanie didn't get as drunk as she had at Ted's apartment.

That night after dinner, they walked down to the bar. As soon as he crossed the threshold, Emmett felt at home. Melanie hadn't been joking when she'd said that the bar was kind of like Woody's, though it wasn't nearly as close as the one they'd been to when they'd visited Toronto for the Liberty Ride. "You guys go grab a table, I'll get the drinks," Emmett told the others, approaching the bar. The bartender was drag queen with fuchsia, spiky hair. _Nice_, Emmett thought.

"What can I get you gorgeous?" she asked, leaning forward on the bar suggestively. It emphasized her chest tremendously. _Sorry honey, tits aren't really my thing, I much prefer dick._

"Five Molson Ices please," Emmett answered with a shy smile.

"Coming right up," the bartender replied, winking. _Oh God,_ Emmett thought.

When the bartender came back, Emmett pulled out his wallet. He noticed that she had a name tag that read TEQUILA. "Thanks Tequila," he said, pulling a twenty out his wallet.

"It's on the house," Tequila replied, winking. "Want to know my full name?"

"Sure." Emmett had never been hit on by a drag queen before but he was finding the whole experience hilarious.

"Tequila Mockingbird."

Emmett laughed. "Like the book!" He had to admit, it was a pretty imaginative drag name, even if it was a bit ridiculous. "Very nice."

"Thanks baby. So, what's your name?" Tequila batted her eyelashes.

"Emmett Honeycutt," Emmett answered, turning to look at his friends. He was desperately hoping Calvin would come see what was taking him so long. _Save me!_ he silently screamed.

"What a marvelous name," Tequila cooed. "Well, Emmett Honeycutt, I get off around eleven if you want to meet up afterwards. I know a great place nearby where we could…have a little fun, if you know what I mean." She licked her lips suggestively.

"You know, I'd love to," Emmett explained," but I'm married."

Tequila's smile vanished and was replaced with a frown. "The best ones always are. So which one is he?" She looked over at the table.

"The one with the long brown hair," Emmett explained, pointing to Calvin.

"Mmm. He's almost as gorgeous as you are." Tequila's eyes lit up once more.

"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself." It was all he could think of to say.

"Thanks baby. Now you'd better get back to your man before he gets jealous. You don't know how many times I've had to pull the gloves off if you know what I mean." Tequila brayed like a donkey.

"Yeah, I know just what you mean," Emmett said with a fake smile. "See you around."

"If I'm lucky." She watched Emmett walk back to table and smiled appreciatively.

Calvin looked up when Emmett approached the table with the drinks. "What took you so long? We were starting to think you'd gotten lost or something," he asked, grabbing Emmett's hand.

"Sorry, I was just talking to Tequila," Emmett said, doling out he drinks. _Please just let that last comment go,_ he prayed.

"Who?" Ted asked, furrowing his brows.

"The bartender, Tequila Mockingbird." As he said it, he couldn't help but chuckled at the absurd name.

"Tequila Mockingbird!" Melanie burst out laughing. "I have never heard anything so ridiculous in all my life!"

"Shhh, she'll hear you!" Emmett warned, looking to see if Tequila was watching them. Thankfully, she was engaged with another customer. _Better him than me._

"I once knew a drag queen that called herself Ophelia Cox," Blake said, sipping his beer.

"Are you serious?" Mel spluttered again. "Why is it that every goddamn drag queen feels the need to come up with some asinine name?"

"For fun?" Emmett suggested. "Anyway, she was really sweet. She wanted to go out with me."

"Ooh, Emmett's got himself a girlfriend," Calvin teased. The other joined in and Emmett dropped his head down on the table. _Why did I even say anything_? he wondered.

* * *

A few nights later, Ted was dragged to Revolver. The name was rather ominous sounding and all he could think of was Pistol back home. _Where do they come up with these club names? _he wondered.

The music was blaring through the speakers hanging from the ceiling. _If I leave tonight with my hearing intact, I'll be surprised. _Blake led the way over to the bar and ordered them a drink. Emmett and Calvin disappeared into the crowd of sweaty, dancing men. Lindsay followed them and sat down, glancing around. She was the only woman in the whole club and couldn't help but notice a few of the guys giving her inquisitive looks. Self consciously, she twisted a strand of hair around her finger, wanting nothing more than to go back home.

"Drink?" Ted asked her, shaking her out of her reverie.

"Anything please," she replied, shouting to be heard over the din. _Now I remember why I don't go out to the clubs,_ she thought ruefully. When the bartender set a banana daiquiri in front of her, Lindsay greedily gulped it down.

"We're going to go dance, are you going to be okay here on your own?" Blake was already dragging Ted onto the dance floor.

"I'll be fine," Lindsay answered, ordering another drink.

Ted and Blake managed to find Emmett and Calvin in the center of the dance floor, surrounded by a gaggle of men. _Men would never flock together like that over me,_ Ted thought sourly. He looked over at Blake and smiled. _It doesn't matter though. Blake does and that's all that matters._ He grabbed Blake's hand and they started to dance. Ted recognized the song and smiled at the memories it awakened. It was the song that had been playing the first time he'd gone to Babylon.

It had been his senior year of college, while he was in the fraternity. He hadn't had sex since he'd lost his virginity the year before. Hoping that he'd meet a nice guy, he'd swallowed his pride and given it a shot. His heart had been pounding out of control as he'd walked into the noisy club. He'd never been to a club before and wasn't sure what to expect. Seeing all of the men practically screwing on the dance floor gave him hope. Instead of meeting a nice stud that night, Ted had instead met Emmett, Michael, and Brian. They'd gotten drunk and bonded. That was also the night he'd developed his crush on Michael.

Ted was brought back to reality when the drag queen emcee walked up on the stage. When he saw her, he couldn't hold back a laugh. It was Emmett's friend Tequila Mockingbird. He caught Emmett's eye. "Shut up," Emmett mouthed to him.

"Who's ready for some Glamorous Glutes?" Tequila sang into the microphone. The crowd cheered excitedly. "That's what I like to hear." The contestants were all lined up the stage, facing the crowd. "Now, our first contestant is Anthony, a used car salesmen from Chatham. Show them what you got Anthony!" Anthony turned to reveal that he was wearing chaps. The spotlight illuminated his tight glutes. The crowd went wild and Anthony bowed before turning so that he was facing the crowd again.

The next contestant showed the audience his ass and Emmett leaned in toward Ted. "Check out his ass," he said, just loud enough to be heard. "Yummy." While they talked, the contest continued.

"I'll say," Ted replied, licking his lips. All of the contestants had nice butts and it was going to be hard to pick the winner. "What do you think?" he asked Blake. "Which one's going to win?"

"I liked Julian," Blake answered, nodding at the tall, bronzed Adonis in the center of the stage.

"He was great," Ted agreed. "My money's on Dante." Dante had been the last contestant. He was very tall and muscular and drop dead gorgeous. His sun kissed buttocks had practically made Ted blow a load in his pants.

"Girls, we're going to take a little break while the ballots are counted to decide the winner of the Glamorous Glutes Contest," Tequila announced. The audience roared again as the music resumed.

Lindsay pushed her way through the crowd to find her friends. She stumbled a little and Ted couldn't help but think that she'd had a few too many banana daiquiris. "There you guys are," she said. "I was starting to think I'd lost you."

"How much have you had to drink?" Ted asked, helping Lindsay regain her balance.

"Just a few drinks," she answered. "Why, do I seem drunk?" She hiccupped loudly.

"A little," Ted admitted. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Lindsay drunk. It was probably back when they'd met after college.

"It doesn't matter," Lindsay continued. "I haven't gotten drunk in years, once in a while won't kill me. It feels good to let my hair down every now and then you know?" To emphasize her point, Lindsay let her hair out of the up do she'd had it in. Laughing, she started to sway to the music.

"No, but Mel might."

"Why would she do that? Do you know how many times I've had to watch her get drunk? She told me to go out and have a good time and that's what I'm going to do. Where's Brian when you need him? I'd be having even more fun if my drinking buddy was here." Lindsay chuckled as she slurred a few of her words.

Emmett caught sight of the spectacle and made his way over. "Is she okay?" he asked Ted, concern etched on his face.

"Yeah, she's just had a few too many daiquiris," Ted answered simply.

"Oh my God." Emmett laughed behind his hand. "I've forgotten how much fun Lindsay is when she's drunk." He grabbed Lindsay's hand and spun her around. "Wanna dance?" he asked.

"I thought you'd never ask," Lindsay replied, laughing hysterically.

"Just be careful," Ted warned. The last thing he wanted to do was explain to Melanie that Lindsay had gotten hurt at the club; she was pretty protective of her spouse.

"Always am," Emmett shot back, twirling Lindsay again.

When the song ended, Tequila took her position at the front of the stage. "It's time to announce the winner!" The audience clapped and Tequila raised her hand for silence. "Drum roll please." The audience obliged. "The winner of the June 2005 Glamorous Glutes Contest is...Dante!"

As the crowd hollered, glitter rained down on Dante. Smiling, he took his place at the center of the stage and showed the audience his ass again.

"Thanks for choosing me," he said in a sexy South American accent. He yelped as Tequila grabbed a handful of one of his cheeks. "It's a real honor."

"And as the winner, you get a year-long free tab at the bar and get to party in the VIP lounge upstairs," Tequila continued.

"Thanks," Dante repeated as he was led by one of Tequila's assistants off stage.

Tequila cleared her throat. "Well I don't know about you, but that certainly got my blood pumping. Now I say it's time to dance the night away!" As soon as Tequila finished speaking, glitter exploded all over the room and the lights dimmed. Upbeat music started to drone out of the speakers and the go-go boys took to their stations.

"You heard the lady," Emmett said to Ted who was staring in awe at the dancers. "Dance the night away." He bumped Ted with his hip and started to dance with Lindsay and Calvin.

"Let's dance," Ted ordered, grabbing Blake's arm.

Tequila made her way through the crowd and latched onto Emmett. "Hey there stud," she cooed, grinning broadly.

"Hey Tequila," Emmett replied with a small wave. _I thought I made it pretty clear I wasn't interested._

"Tequila!" Lindsay snorted, which only made her laugh harder.

"This is Calvin, my husband," Emmett said to change the subject.

"Hi." Calvin shook Tequila's hand.

"Nice to meet you _mon chérie_."

"You speak French?" Emmett asked. _Duh, you're in Canada. Lots of people speak French._ "I always wanted to learn. I mean, I speak a little, but I'm not a pro or anything."

"Let me teach you." Tequila pried Emmett away from Calvin and Lindsay and started to grind up against him obscenely.

Ted watched in utter awe. "Emmett's dancing with that drag queen," he said to Blake.

"Wow. Poor guy, he looks like he's about ready to run for the hills."

"Do you think we should go over there and help him?" Ted asked. They looked at each other. "No!"

"Let's go see if they have a back room," Blake suggested, pulling Ted away.

* * *

They got in so late that the sun was almost fully risen. Lindsay's buzz had worn off after she stopped drinking. "Do you mind if we keep this between us?" she asked the others. She didn't want Melanie to know that she'd made a fool of herself.

"Sure," Emmett said. "Mel doesn't need to know."

"Mel doesn't need to know what?" Melanie asked, coming down the stairs with the baby in her arms.

Lindsay exchanged worried looks with the others. She had no idea what to say. "That the contest was a total bust," Ted covered, frowning. "The guys were all ugly."

"Really?" Melanie arched her eyebrows. "Then why were you gone all night?"

"After the contest we left and got drinks at the bar," Emmett explained.

"Oh. Did you guys at least have fun?"

"Tons." Lindsay kissed Melanie's cheek lightly. "Now if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to get some sleep. I'm not twenty anymore, I need more than two hours of sleep to function properly."

Melanie sat down with JR and gave her a bottle. "She got drunk, didn't she?" Mel asked without looking up.

"What would give you that idea?" Emmett inquired innocently. Despite the fact that her head was pounding, Lindsay hadn't shown any other tell tale signs of her drunken escapades.

"When she leaned in to kiss me, I could smell it on her," Melanie replied. "Don't worry, I won't let on that I know. If she wanted me to know, she would've told me."

"It's just that she was so embarrassed about it," Ted explained quietly. Mel and Linds's room was just up the stairs and he didn't want Lindsay to hear their conversation.

"That's my girl," Mel commented with a sly smile.

Ted yawned. "We should probably get some sleep, too," he said. "We've got at least a four hour drive ahead of us today."

"And I'm driving, aren't I?" Emmett asked, frowning. He hadn't gotten drunk, but he was exhausted.

"You bet your ass," Ted replied, smiling tightly. "If I were you, I'd go get some shut eye."

"All right," Emmett grumbled, dragging himself up the stairs to Gus's room.

"Aren't the rest of you going?" Melanie asked.

"We can sleep in the car on the way home," Calvin replied.

Mel laughed. "You trust Emmett to drive you all the way home?" She had a point. Emmett was pretty whimsical when it came to pretty much everything.

"You know what, I'm going to go take a nap," Ted said, rising and scratching his ear. "Someone really should keep him company while he's driving. Not that I don't trust him."

"Of course," Melanie played along. Calvin and Blake followed their partners upstairs. "Ah, peace and quiet at last, eh Jenny?" Mel cooed. As much as she loved and missed her friends, she was looking forward to having the house and her routine back to normal. Not only was it a lot quieter without company, but she could have some quality time with Lindsay. She counted the hours.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Michael and his family celebrate Hunter's graduation at Disney World. Brian comes home to an unpleasant surprise.


	54. Don't Wanna Miss A Thing

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **To celebrate Hunter's graduation, Michael bought tickets to Disney World for the family.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Three

"Ma, you're still not done packing?" Michael called up to Deb. It was the night before they were supposed to fly out to Florida and Debbie hadn't left her room since he'd gotten there two hours earlier.

"I'm almost done," she shouted back. "I'm just looking for my goddamn bathing suit."

"Forget it, I'll buy you one when we get there." Michael wanted her to hurry up so that he could load up the car.

"I can't believe you're going to fucking Florida," Brian said from his place on the couch. He was laying down smoking pot.

"Why not? Is there something wrong with Florida?" Michael asked. He was so scatterbrained that the last thing he needed was Brian stirring things up.

"Not particularly, it just isn't you." He took another drag on the joint and held it out to Michael.

"I can't," Michael said determinedly. "If Ben smells pot on me he'll freak."

"Fuck that. If you want to smoke pot you can smoke pot. He doesn't control everything you do." Brian pushed the joint into Michael's hand. "The two or you are so boring sometimes."

"Maybe just one drag," Michael conceded, inhaling. As soon as he did, he felt better. Calmer.

Debbie pounded down the stairs. "Is that pot I smell?" she demanded, folding her arms across her chest.

"Sorry," Michael said, handing it back to Brian quickly.

"What the fuck did you do that for!" She smacked Michael and snatched the joint out of Brian's hand. "Give it to me." She inhaled and smiled. "God, I needed that."

"Since when do you smoke pot?" Michael asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. I was just asking." When Deb raised her hand to smack him again, Michael ducked and ran over to sit with Brian.

"I'm a fifty-one year old woman. If I want to smoke pot, that's my business."

"At least you don't have to hide it," Michael muttered.

The front door opened and Ben came in. "Hey guys," he said, setting a few bags down. He sniffed the air and looked over at Brian, who gave him a sly smile.

"Professor." Brian snuffed the joint out in an ashtray and stood up. "Your darling wife was just talking about you."

"Was she now?" Ben planted a kiss on Michael's cheek. "And how was your day darling wife?"

"Great. How was yours darling husband?" Michael returned the kiss and scooted over so that Ben could join him on the couch.

"Let's just say that I am more than ready for this vacation."

"That bad huh?"

"Not bad, just exhausting." Michael stroked Ben's head comfortingly and Brian couldn't help but roll his eyes. Debbie caught his eye and gave him a warning look. He held his hand up in surrender and sipped his beer.

Debbie went back upstairs to look for her bathing suit. "I am not leaving until I find it!" she announced.

"You better go help her find it Mikey, otherwise you might get stuck here in Pittsburgh for the rest of your life," Brian teased.

"I doubt it," Michael replied. "I'll just leave her here." Brian snickered.

"I heard that!" Debbie shouted down at them.

"She's got ears like a hawk," Michael said just loud enough for Brian and Ben to hear.

"I heard that, too!"

Brian laughed. "Just give it up Mikey, she'll hear you no matter what."

"I guess so." Michael exhaled loudly and rested his head on Ben's shoulder, closing his eyes.

"We should probably get going soon," Ben said quietly. "I can barely keep my eyes open."

"As soon as she finds that goddamn bathing suit, we can go," Michael answered. "Until then, we're stuck here." He set his chin determinedly.

"So...Disney World," Brian said awkwardly. "Gayest place on earth."

"It's for Hunter," Michael explained. "He's been bugging us about going ever since he came back."

"What, he misses being one of Snow White's Seven Dwarves?" Brian snorted.

"Just because you never wanted to go there doesn't mean that other kids didn't."

"Gus would love it," Ben interjected. "He'd have a great time."

"Yeah, I'll be sure and pencil that one in," Brian muttered.

Debbie came back downstairs with the bathing suit clutched in her hands. Her face was furrowed in a deep frown. "What's wrong?" Michael asked, rising from the couch.

"It's too big" Deb said disappointedly. Brian bit his lip to refrain from laughing.

"They sell bathing suits in Florida," Michael reminded her.

"I know that! But I wanted this one, it's Carl's favorite."

"Enough," Michael ordered as he covered his ears. "I don't want to know. We're leaving now." He grabbed Ben and dragged him toward the door. "See you in the morning."

"Bye sweetie," Deb said distractedly.

Brian followed Michael and Ben outside. "Have fun on your trip," he said snidely.

"Very funny jackass," Michael replied. "We are going to have fun. Even if I had to gag her and shove her in a broom closet."

"Michael!" Despite his chastising tone, Ben laughed. "At least we're not sharing a room with her."

"Thank God for small favors."

"So when's that graduation party for Hunter?" Brian asked. Michael had mentioned it awhile back, but hadn't brought it up since.

"Next week some time. I'll let you know when we set a date. I can't believe you're actually going to come. Aren't graduation parties a little too boring for you?"

"Normally they are, yes. But he's your son, Mikey, which makes him like my son..." He frowned. "Did I really just say that?"

"Don't worry, we won't tell anyone," Ben assured him.

"Besides, when Gus graduates you'll be at his grad party."

"Of course I will." Michael frowned.

"What?" Brian asked.

"Can you believe that fourteen years from now your son is going to be graduating from high school?"

"Don't get me started." Brian lit up a cigarette. "Can you believe that sixteen years ago we were graduating from high school?"

"I feel old," Michael muttered. Ben yawned again. "All right, we'd better get you home." He turned toward Brian. "I'll see you when I get back."

Brian nodded. "Call me." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small envelope, handing it to Michael.

"What's this?" Michael asked, looking at the envelope in confusion.

"It's a little graduation present for Hunter," Brian answered simply.

"Wouldn't you rather wait and give it to him next week at the party?"

"No, he can use it while he's in Florida."

"Okay." Michael pocketed the envelope and gave Brian a quick hug. "I love you," he whispered.

"You, too." Brian kissed him quickly on lips. "Oh and Mikey, one more thing."

Michael stopped and turned to face Brian again. "What now?" he asked with mock exasperation. "I have to get home."

"Tell him it's from Uncle Brian and Uncle Justin." A wicked grin lit up Brian's face.

"You're a sick man, you know that Brian?" Michael joked, getting into the passenger seat.

"I thought that's what you liked about me," Brian called after them as the car pulled away.

He watched the car fade away for a few seconds. Michael had got him thinking about Gus graduating. _Hopefully I'll be dead by then_, he thought sourly. _I'll be so old I'll be lucky if I have any fucking hair left on my head._ He ran a hand through his hair warily. _Don't be ridiculous, you're hair isn't thinning yet._ Sighing, he stomped out his cigarette and got into his car. Justin and Gus were waiting for him back at home.

* * *

When he walked in the front door, Brian noticed that the house was unusually quiet. Gus was by no means an extremely loud child, but he was always excited when Brian walked through the front door. _They must be out back swimming_, Brian thought, walking through the kitchen to the back patio. The pool was empty, too. He doubted that Justin would take Gus out on the horses by himself and he could see that the tennis court was uninhabited. _Where the hell are they! _His heart started to pound in his chest. Justin couldn't leave the house and if he had gone out with someone, he would've at least called Brian to tell him. If something had happened to him or Gus, Brian would've gotten a call from the hospital.

He walked upstairs and opened the door to Gus's room. Gus was laying in bed with juice box, watching a movie. "There you are!" Brian gasped, throwing his arms around Gus and kissing him frantically. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Gus answered, not taking his eyes off of the TV.

"I thought something had happened to you," Brian said, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"No."

"Where's Justin?" Brian asked. Justin wouldn't leave Gus home by himself.

"He's in the bathroom."

Brian went into their bedroom. Justin's pillow and blanket were gone. Heart racing, he opened the bathroom door to find that Justin wasn't in there. _He must've meant the guest bathroom, _Brian thought as he raced down the hall. He walked into the guest room and knocked lightly on the door. There was a weak moan in response. _No!_ Brian pushed the door open and his eyes immediately fell on Justin, who was bent over the toilet, vomiting. His pulse slowed down as he heaved a sigh of relief. "What the fuck are you doing?" he asked, kneeling beside Justin.

"No, get away!" Justin demanded, pushing Brian away.

"What's wrong?" Brian reached for him again. Justin was too weak to fight him off this time.

"I'm sick," Justin croaked, vomiting once more.

Brian grabbed a washcloth and ran it under cold water before placing it on Justin's forehead. "Are you okay?" he asked, holding the washcloth in place.

"Do I look okay?" Justin moaned, laying down on the rug. He started to shiver uncontrollably.

"Did you get into the codeine again?" Brian joked, hoping to lighten the mood. Justin shot him and angry look and he nodded. "Sorry, wrong time."

"I have the flu," Justin explained. "I've spent all day in here."

"Why didn't you call?" Brian asked. "I would've come home, I would've..."

"It's fine," Justin insisted. "I didn't want you to have to leave work or miss your get together with Michael."

"But I don't care about that! You're more important to me."

"I know."

"Do you?"

Justin laid his head in Brian's lap. "You'd better get away from me. I don't want you or Gus to catch this. It's pretty nasty." Brian stroked his hair tenderly.

"I'll take my chances. Come on, let's get you in bed." He lifted Justin into his arms and carried him to the bed, setting him down softly. "I'm going to make some soup or chicken broth."

"Thanks," Justin muttered, closing his eyes.

"And you need to keep hydrated. I'll bring you some water."

On his way downstairs, Gus came out of his room. "Is Justin going to be okay, Daddy?" he asked, frowning worriedly.

"He's going to be fine. It's just the flu," Brian explained. "He's going to be pretty sick for the rest of the day but he'll feel better tomorrow." He paused. "Are you hungry?"

"A little," Gus answered. "I had a bowl of cereal this morning."

"Just stay in your room. I'll bring you up a grilled cheese or something."

Brian hurried downstairs and poured Justin a glass of water. He'd never played nursemaid to anyone but himself, so he wasn't exactly sure what to do. He ran the water up to Justin. "Drink this," he said, helping Justin lean forward so that he could take a sip. "If you need me just call, okay?"

"Yeah." Justin closed his eyes again and drifted off into a light sleep. _Poor guy, he must be pretty sick if he's this weak._ He sat for a moment watching Justin sleep, feeling his heart aching from the sight of Justin so ill. Setting his chin determinedly, Brian quietly let the room and went back downstairs to kitchen.

There wasn't any soup in the cupboard, but Brian managed to find a can of chicken broth. _Hopefully it will sit all right with his stomach._ While the broth was heating up, he busied himself making Gus a sandwich. _That's the last time I go anywhere after work,_ Brian decided. _Justin shouldn't have been left here to deal with this all by himself. _Angrily, Brian knocked one of the glasses off the counter. It fell to the ground and shattered into a million pieces. _Great, now I'll have to clean that up. Nice plan genius._

After sweeping up the mess, Brian brought the food up to Gus and Justin. Gus was still in bed watching TV. "Do you feel all right?" Brian asked. If Gus was going to get the flu, too he wanted to know before he put any food in his stomach.

"I'm fine," Gus answered. "Am I going to get the flu again Daddy?" He swallowed nervously. Apparently he hadn't forgotten the last time he'd had it.

"Not if we're careful. Justin shut himself up in the guest room so you wouldn't catch it."

"What about you?"

"It doesn't matter if I get it or not. He needs someone to take care of him and that's my job." He took a deep breath. "I'll be right back, okay? I'm going to go give Justin his food." Gus nodded.

Justin was sitting up when Brian came into the room. "I woke up and had to run to the bathroom," Justin explained when Brian paused in the doorway. "Hopefully this is just one of those twenty-four hour things and not the real deal. I don't think I can handle another day of this."

"I'm sure the twenty-four hour bug is going around," Brian replied, setting the tray of chicken broth down on the bed. "Can I get you anything else? Some ginger ale for your stomach?"

"That would be great." Justin's voice was raspy. "Thanks for taking care of me."

"It's my job," Brian said with a tight smile. "One ginger ale coming right up." He left again.

While Justin ate his broth, Brian sat next to him on the bed. "Are you feeling a little better now?" he asked, concern etched on his face. He couldn't bare the thought of Justin in pain.

"A little. I'll get back to you after I've finished eating though." He groaned. "God. Please, just kill me."

"Don't talk like that," Brian said sternly. "I know you're only joking, but..." He shook his head. "I can't lose you."

"You won't," Justin insisted. "I'm not going anywhere." An awkward silence enveloped them.

Brian cleared his throat. "Do you remember when I was sick from the radiation after I got my ball removed?"

"Of course," Justin replied, looking over at Brian. The memory was bringing back bad feelings of how upset and afraid he'd been then.

"That day I came home and found you in loft heating up soup." He smiled. "You told me to go lay down and eat some soup."

"I think my exact words were 'get your ass back in bed you son of a bitch and eat some fucking chicken soup.'"

"I remember." Brian chuckled. "You took care of me then and I'm going to take care of you now. No matter what you say."

"Fine. But when you catch it, I'm going to take care of you and then I'll get it again. We'll just keep passing it back and forth."

"Kinky." Despite his ailment, Justin burst out laughing.

"Only you could make me laugh when I feel like I'm on the verge of death."

"That's what I'm here for."

When Justin had finished his broth, Brian took the tray away. "I'm going to go give Gus a bath and then I'll be back to check on you."

"I'll be here," Justin replied.

"Just holler if you need anything."

"Like I can holler right now." Justin's voice was getting weaker the more he talked.

Brian washed his hands before going to get Gus. "Bath time," he announced, walking into Gus's room. Gus got out of bed and followed him into the bathroom. They had a fun time splashing each other with water. "I'm staying home tomorrow. Maybe we can give the horses another try. What do you think?"

"Yes," Gus said quietly. "It was fun."

"I thought so, too." _Hopefully Justin will be better tomorrow so we can all go._ He pulled Gus out of the bath and dried him off. "Go pick out some pajamas and I'll sit and watch a movie with you."

Gus ran into his room and got into his pajamas. By the time Brian came in, the TV was on and the movie was paused at the beginning. "What did you pick?" Brian asked, lying down on the bed.

"_Spongebob Squarepants,_ Gus replied excitedly. He'd watched the movie a lot since he'd been at the house and Brian had been promising to watch it with him. They settled in and started the movie. While they watched, Brian held Gus tightly in his arms. Gus snuggled up against his chest and before long was fast asleep.

Gently, Brian got out of bed and went to check on Justin. Opening the door a crack, he could see by the lamp's glow that Justin was asleep, his chest rising and falling steadily. _Goodnight Sunshine,_ he thought as he closed the door. As made his way down the hall to his bedroom, he realized just how tired he was. _It's been a long day._ He climbed into bed and shut the light off. Rolling over, he habitually put his arm on Justin's side of the bed. When he felt nothing but the mattress, Brian looked over sadly at the spot where Justin usually lay. He sighed. _I can't sleep without him_, Brian realized, turning the light back on.

Snatching up his pillow, Brian walked down the hall and crept into the guest room. Justin was still asleep. Brian climbed into bed and leaned over to turn the lamp off. Justin started to shiver.

"Come here," Brian whispered, putting his arms around Justin. "It's okay."

"You can's stay here," Justin managed. Apparently he hadn't been asleep.

"I'm not leaving and that's final." He moved closer to Justin and kissed the back of his neck.

"You'll get sick," Justin continued weakly.

"It doesn't matter," Brian replied. Justin gave up and relaxed in Brian's arms.

"Sing to me?" Justin begged. "When I was little, it always helped sleep."

"What do you want me to sing?"

"Think of something.

Brian knit his brows, deep in thought. What song could he sing? Then it came to him. "I don't know how well this is going to soothe you, but..." He swallowed before starting to sing.

_I could stay awake just to hear you breathing_

_Watch you smile while you are sleeping  
While you're far away dreaming_

_I could spend my life in this sweet surrender_

_I could stay lost in this moment forever_

_When every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure_

_I don't wanna close my eyes_

_I don't wanna fall asleep_

_Cause I'd miss you babe_

_And I don't wanna miss a thing_

_Cause even when I dream of you_

_The sweetest dream would never do_

_I'd still miss you babe_

_And I don't wanna miss a thing._

By the time Brian had finished the first verse, Justin was asleep again and had stopped shivering. Brian smiled and closed his eyes.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Feeling better, Justin finally finishes his painting.


	55. Finished

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian came home to find Justin stricken with the flu.

Michael and his family went to Disney World to celebrate Hunter's graduation.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Four

A few days later, feeling much better but still exhausted, Justin crawled out of bed. Brian had insisted that he not go to work for the rest of the week and that Daphne come over to take care of Gus. "I don't want you exerting yourself," he'd said. Despite Justin's assurances that he was fine, Brian had been steadfast. "Stay in bed."

Justin went down to the kitchen to get something to eat. Ever since he'd recovered from his illness, he'd been starving. No matter how much he ate, he was hungry again a few hours later. While he was rooting around in the fridge, Daphne came in. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Looking for something to eat," Justin replied. He appreciated the fact that Brian cared but he was fine, he didn't need to stay in bed all day.

"Brian said not to let you get out of bed except to go the bathroom," Daphne continued, folding her arms across her chest.

"Well he doesn't have to know, does he? I'm not going to tell him." Justin shot Daphne a mischievous grin. "Besides, I'm going stir crazy up there. I need to do something!" He hadn't worked on his painting all week and he was itching to get back to it.

"Fine." Daphne sighed. "Just don't do anything too exhausting. I don't want Brian breathing down my neck."

"I'll be fine Daph, it was just the flu. Brian's being way too overprotective."

"He's just trying to show you that he cares," Daphne argued in Brian's defense. "Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

"It is, but I'm fine. Really. Do you think that if things were the other way around that he'd stay in bed and watch TV all day?"

"Probably not."

"My point exactly. If he wants to worry about someone over exerting themselves it should be you. You are pregnant after all."

"Only a month and half," Daphne reminded him. "Once I'm in the third trimester I'll slow it down and veg. Until then, I can still do some things."

Justin pulled out some cheese and grabbed the crackers from the pantry. "So how is everything going?" he asked. They hadn't much opportunity lately to talk about the baby, though Justin figured that if something bad had happened that Daphne would have told him.

"With the baby? Fine. When I go in for my appointments I'll let you know. You and Brian can come for the ultrasound if you want. I figured you'd want to be there."

"Of course we'll be there! We wouldn't miss it for the world!" He sat down on the couch and offered Daphne some crackers. She politely declined.

"I'll let you know. We still have another two and a half months before they can determine the sex."

"I can't wait!" Justin smiled at the thought. He didn't really care whether the baby was male or female, as long as it was healthy. _God, that is such a cliché._

"Did you guys decide on any names yet?"

"No. Actually, we haven't even talked about it yet. Maybe we'll just wait until the baby's born and then decide, you know?"

Daphne sat down on the couch next to Justin. "So Brian really took care of you while you were sick?" she asked, her eyes lighting up. She was the romantic in the friendship.

"He did," Justin confirmed. "I kept telling him to get away, but he wouldn't leave. Later that night, I woke up with the shivers and he came in and held me tight against his chest, giving me his body heat. And he sang to me. I slept in his arms all night."

"That is so romantic!" Daphne laughed excitedly. "I always knew under that dick head façade that there was a kind, loving person just waiting for the right person to unleash."

"Me, too. I'm glad that he finally let it out."

"No one could bring it out except you." Daphne rubbed her belly idly.

"Where's Gus?" Justin asked. He hadn't seen him since he'd gotten up.

"He's in your studio working on his next masterpiece. Watch out, he might be the next Picasso."

"He is pretty good for someone so young, isn't he? At least he and I have something in common."

"Besides the fact that Brian loves you both to death?"

"Yes, besides that." Justin laughed. "Maybe when he's older we can have art shows together. Like a father-son art show."

"That would be cool. Let's just hope he doesn't outshine you."

"I wouldn't care if he did. Art isn't about who's better, it's about expressing yourself."

"Like Madonna!" Daphne squealed. "Express Yourself" was her favorite Madonna song.

"What am I going to do with you Daph?" Justin teased.

They went to check on Gus. He was sitting in a chair drawing in Justin's old sketch pad. When he heard Justin and Daphne walk in, he looked up. "Daddy said that you were supposed to stay in bed," Gus said seriously. Apparently Brian had entrusted him to make sure Justin was doing what he was told.

"I know. How about this: you don't tell him and I'll make your favorite for dinner."

"Pizza!" Gus exclaimed.

"So it's a deal then?" Justin asked.

"Deal," Gus agreed.

"You're going to make him pizza? Why don't you just order one?" Daphne inquired.

"He likes my home made pizza better," Justin answered.

"Well if the art thing doesn't work out for you, you can always be a chef."

"Thanks Daph," Justin said, pretending to be incensed. "I'm glad I have your vote of confidence."

"Believe me, I know you'll make it as an artist. Once you finish that new painting." She playfully punched Justin's arm.

"Ow!" he whined, rubbing the sore spot. "And I will finish it...soon. I was actually hoping to start working on it again today."

"Well I won't keep you. I'll take Gus out for a swim or something."

"What's it like outside?" Justin asked. He hadn't been outside of the house in over five days.

"Gorgeous," Daphne replied, smiling faintly. "You should come out, too. The sun might do you some good, you're looking a little pale."

"I'll come out on one condition."

"What's that?"

"You don't look at my painting."

"Whatever." Daphne rolled her eyes. "You used to show me all of your drawings and stuff back in high school. What makes this painting so special that no one can see it?"

Justin shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. Everyone's getting pretty irritated that I won't let them see it."

"That's because we all know it's going to be fantastic and we don't understand why you're keeping it such a secret."

"You can see it when it's done," Justin replied.

"Fine. I promise I won't look at your painting. Will you come outside with us now?"

"Give me a few minutes to change and bring my stuff out."

"Okay. We'll meet you out back. Come on Gus." Daphne took Gus's hand and headed out back.

Left alone in the studio, Justin stared at his canvas for a minute. It was calling to him, summoning him near. Using all of his willpower, he went back upstairs and changed into lighter clothes. He went back into the studio and picked up the easel, carrying it into the kitchen and out onto the patio. Daphne and Gus were swimming in the pool, laughing. "You look like you're having fun," Justin commented, setting the easel down in direct sunlight. As soon as the sun touched his skin, Justin realized how cold he'd been before. Closing his eyes peacefully, he reveled in the glorious warmth.

"I'd say come join us, but I don't think that's such a good idea," Daphne replied. "I wouldn't want you to get sick again."

"Yeah," Justin agreed. "I'll be right back, I have to go grab my paintbrushes and stuff." As soon as he stepped back into the house, the warmth vanished and was replaced with a bone deep chill. Shivering slightly, he turned the A.C. down a bit. _It's like a meat locker in here!_ He grabbed his art supplies and went back out onto the patio.

When his brush touched the canvas, Justin was immediately absorbed with the painting. He'd missed working on in the past few days and was grateful for the opportunity to finish it. He mixed colors together without thought and added them to canvas using deep strokes. Justin was so lost in his work that he didn't notice Daphne standing nearby. "Earth to Justin," she said, waving her hand in the air.

"I'm sorry, what did you say Daph?" Justin shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I didn't hear you."

"Apparently. I asked if you wanted something to eat. Gus wants a snack."

"Whatever you're making him will be fine. Thanks." As if on cue, his stomach growled.

"No problem." Daphne disappeared back into the house.

Justin made sure to keep a close eye on Gus. He was alone in the pool and if anything ever happened, Justin would never be able to forgive himself. Brian had been working at teaching Gus how to swim and it had evidently paid off because Gus was no longer wearing his inflatable wings. "Good job Gus!" Justin said, smiling. _And to think he's only been here less than a month. Just imagine what else he'll learn while he's here._ That thought brought a wry smile to Justin's face.

Gus waved to him and continued to play in the pool with a toy boat Brian had bought him.

Before long, Daphne came back out with two plates of leftover meatloaf. She set them down at the table and went back in to get the drinks. Justin turned his canvas so that it was facing away from both the house and the table and picked up Gus's towel. "Time to eat," he said, wrapping the towel around Gus when he emerged from the water. They sat down and Daphne came back with a bottle of water and a juice box. "You're not going to have anything?" Justin asked, curiously. "Don't pregnant women get uncontrollable hankerings?"

"They do," Daphne replied. "But with the morning sickness that actually lasts all day, I ignore my hankerings."

"How is the morning sickness?" From what he'd heard from both Melanie and Lindsay, morning sickness was not fun.

"It varies from day to day. Some days it's bearable, others..." Daphne shook her head.

"Well the good news is it'll go away soon, right?"

"Supposedly. I'll believe it when I see it." Justin laughed.

After lunch, Daphne and Gus went back into the pool and Justin picked his paintbrush up again. He was so close to finishing that it was driving him crazy. All it needed was one final touch, but he couldn't decide what it was. Exasperated, he set the paintbrush back down and watched Daphne and Gus swimming for awhile. Then it came to him. The thing his painting needed. He dipped the paintbrush into several colors in his palette and mixed them together, creating a deep red. As he filled in the blank spots, he knew deep down that he was at last done with the painting. Giving it one last once over, Justin got up and walked over to the pool, dipping his feet in. Brian had bought a heater so the water wouldn't be freezing anymore and Justin welcomed the warmth on his freezing feet. "Taking a break from your masterpiece?" Daphne asked, swimming over to Justin.

"No. I'm done," Justin replied.

"Done?" Daphne's mouth dropped open. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." He laughed.

"Can I see it?" Daphne asked tentatively.

"I sort of promised Brian that he could be the first one to see it," Justin replied.

"I understand." Daphne nodded. "What about after you show it to him?"

"Lindsay's got dibs on second."

"Fine! After she sees it!"

"Sold, to the girl in the pool."

"Meanie," Daphne muttered jokingly.

"What was that!" Justin kicked water at her. "That'll teach you."

Daphne spluttered. "Really? Well I don't care if you are getting over the flu." She grabbed Justin's leg and pulled him into the pool. When Justin surfaced she said, "See?"

"Is that the best you got?" he challenged, splashing more water at Daphne. They started kicking water at each other frantically, laughing hysterically.

Someone clearing their throat interrupted them. Justin looked up and froze. _Fuck._ _Now I'm in trouble._ Brian stood in the doorway, arms folded across his chest. "Hey kids," he said with a snide smile.

"Hey Brian," Daphne said, nervously chewing her lip. "We were just..."

"I know what you were doing," Brian replied. "Daphne could you excuse us for a minute?"

"Sure." Daphne and Gus got out of the pool and went back to the stables.

Justin took a deep breath. "I'm feeling much better," he explained, climbing out of the pool. "Back to normal actually." He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around himself to keep warm.

"I can tell," Brian muttered.

"You're mad, aren't you?" Justin asked. He had hoped that by the time Brian got home, he'd be back in bed all snuggled up and Brian would be none the wiser.

"No." Brian sighed and smiled genuinely for the first time.

"No?" Justin blinked.

"If you're feeling better than you're feeling better. I can't tell you what to do. Outside of the bedroom." Justin laughed. "Though don't think I'm going to just let you get away with this."

"What are you going to do?" Justin challenged.

"I'll punish you later. Tonight." Brian grinned mischievously as he walked over to Justin.

Justin smiled and took his hand. "Well if I'm going to get punished anyway, then I'd better do something really naughty then. Make it worth your while."

"What do you mean?" Brian raised his eyebrows wearily.

"This." Justin leaned in to kiss him but instead pushed him into the pool. He dove in after Brian and kissed him underwater. "Call that payback," he said when they were above the surface.

"For what?" Brian asked, wiping chlorinated water out of his eyes.

"Last week."

"What happened last week?"

"Remember? You pulled me into the pool."

Brian laughed. "You're still harping on that? I thought it was something serious."

"I'm not harping on it. If there's one thing you should've learned from our trip to Paris it's that if you mess with me, I'll get you back tenfold."

"I remember," Brian muttered. For an instant he was back on the Champs- Élysées, Jean-Claude's gun pointed at his chest.

"Hey, where did you just go?" Justin asked, floating next to Brian.

"I was just remembering that night and how scared I was. Not of dying, but of leaving you."

"I love you." Justin kissed Brian passionately and then pulled away. "Come here, there's something I want to show you."

"Another trick?" Brian joked, dragging himself out of the pool. His suit was drenched and the extra weight was making him sluggish.

Justin took his hand and led him over to the easel. "Close your eyes," he ordered.

"Fine, they're closed." Brian closed his eyes and put his hand in front of them for good measure.

"Just a second," Justin murmured as he flipped the easel around so that it was facing Brian again. "Okay, open them." Brian complied and his eyes immediately fell on the painting. As he looked it over, his mouth dropped open slightly. "What do you think?" Justin asked, moving over to Brian so that they could look at it together.

"You want my honest opinion?" Brian replied, briefly taking his eyes off the painting so that he could gauge Justin's reaction.

"Hit me with your best shot," Justin quipped. He steadied himself for the first critique.

"I think that this is the painting that's going to make you a huge success."

"Really!" Justin's face lit up and he threw himself into Brian's arms. "I'd hoped you'd say that!"

"We're having an art show," Brian said authoritatively.

"Where?"

"Here. There's plenty of space. We can show this and some of your older work. Maybe Gus'll let us borrow the drawings you did for him, and I've got the one of me we can use, too."

"Thank you!" Justin gushed excitedly. While Brian wasn't exactly an expert art critic, his opinion mattered to Justin more than anyone else's.

"We can do it when Lindsay and Melanie come back for the Fourth of July. I know you'll want them here for this."

"I do. It if weren't for Lindsay, I'd never have started showing my work in the first place."

"And to think that this all started at the quaint old Gay and Lesbian Center. Now you're a star."

"I'm not a star yet," Justin corrected. "But hopefully this piece will at least get me started. I just hope they don't want me to go to New York again."

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Justin immediately regretted them. He looked up at Brian, who chewed his lip. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that."

"It's fine. I know that you're happy being here with me, but if they want you to go to New York again, I won't stop you. In fact, I'll encourage you."

"Why?" Justin demanded, pulling himself free of Brian's grasp. "Aren't you happy being here with me?"

"I am!" Brian assured him. He sighed. "I just meant that your career is important to you and I'm not going to let you just throw it away."

"I'm not going to New York," Justin said with finality.

"What if I came with you?"

Justin's breath caught. "You couldn't...what about work? And Gus? The house?" His mind was racing and he couldn't focus.

"Shhh," Brian ordered, pulling Justin close once again. "We don't even know if this is happening. I was speaking hypothetically, okay? Let's just relax and see how things go."

"You're right." Justin rested his head on Brian's shoulder and closed his eyes. There was no sense worrying about something that wasn't even a maybe. For all he knew, the critics would hate the piece and that would be that. And if they liked it...well, he'd decide that later.

Brian brought Justin into the house. "What do you say we go upstairs and celebrate?" he asked, hoping to ease Justin's discomfort and lighten the mood. "It's been a lonely couple of days without you in bed with me."

"Oh really?" Justin draped his arms over Brian's shoulder and nibbled his ear. "Fuck me," he ordered, giving into his animal urges. "Now!"

"Well you must be feeling better if you want me to fuck you," Brian joked, a glint in his eye.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Michael and the family return from their trip. Brian and Justin host Hunter's graduation party.


	56. Graduation Party

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Hunter graduated, and in celebration, Michael got tickets for Disney World.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Five

The next week after Michael had gotten back from Florida, he met his friends at the Liberty Diner to catch up. "Sweetie, you look great!" Emmett exclaimed when Michael walked through the door.

"I do?" Michael asked, blushing self-consciously. Despite being best friends with Brian for twenty years, Brian's confidence had never rubbed off on him.

"Yeah Mikey, that tan suits you," Brian answered, smiling.

"Thanks guys." Michael took the empty seat next to Ted.

"So how was your trip?" Emmett asked.

"Give us all the details," Justin ordered.

"It was fun."

"Just fun?" Ted prompted.

"No, it was more than fun." Michael laughed. "I had a great time."

"What did you do?" Emmett continued. Apparently Michael wasn't much into sharing that morning.

"All the stuff you do when you go to Disney World. We went on all the rides and swam a lot. It was really hot there. What about you guys?"

"Just stayed in," Ted said, taking a bite of his food. "Spent time with Blake."

"Work," Emmett answered.

"The usual," Brian finished with a wry smile.

"Oh, we know what that means," Emmett joked. "Sex, sex, and more sex."

"Precisely," Brian retorted, nibbling on Justin's ear.

Michael looked over at Justin. "How do you do it? Don't you ever get worn out?"

"Sure." Justin shrugged. "But you have no idea how good it is." He closed his eyes and moaned softly at the memory.

"Enough," Michael demanded, holding up a hand. "I don't need to know anymore."

"Are you sure Mikey? Because I'm pretty sure we could draw you a diagram or something," Brian teased, pulling a pen out of his pocket.

"No!" Michael exclaimed, laughing. "That's okay Brian. I'll take Justin's word for it."

"Wise choice," Ted said under his breath.

"So where is the studious Professor on this sunny Pittsburgh morning?" Brian inquired. He'd figured that Michael would have brought Ben with him.

"He took Hunter out school shopping."

"Isn't it a little early?" Emmett asked, pouring syrup over his pancakes. "School doesn't start until the end of August. It's only the middle of June."

"That's what I said, but Ben insisted that they get started right away. Something about wanting to get everything before it all got snatched up." Michael waved his hand. "Whatever."

Ted chewed his food thoughtfully. "That's a good idea. Get everything you can before it's sold out and you have to pay double to price for it."

"I guess," Michael replied.

"Where's he going?" Emmett asked.

"Allegheny Community."

"Just like you!" Emmett laughed excitedly. "You must be so proud."

"He's not going to Pennsylvania State? Such a shame." Brian shook his head with mock disappointment. "And to think he could've grown up to be just like me."

"There's only room for one of you in the world," Justin said.

"He had a choice to go anywhere. He chose Allegheny," Michael explained.

"Because of that girlfriend of his?" Brian asked.

"I'm sure that's the reason. He's definitely in love with her."

"Straight people," Brian said under his breath.

Debbie came by with the coffee pot. "What about straight people?" she asked, shooting Brian a dangerous look.

"Nothing," Brian muttered. Justin snickered and rubbed his shoulder. No one had the nerve to challenge Debbie when she broke out the attitude.

"Wow Michael, I guess I didn't realize just how tan you are until I saw these pale ghosts," Deb commented.

"Thanks Ma." Michael sighed.

"Why didn't you get a tan Deb?" Emmett asked.

"I don't tan," Deb explained. "I burn." She cackled and poured Emmett some more coffee. "It was the trip of a lifetime though. I just wish Vic could've been there to see it. He would've loved Disney World." She sighed sadly and moved on to the next table.

No one said anything for a few seconds. "So," Michael began, "we picked a date for Hunter's graduation party."

"Really? When?" Emmett asked, grateful for the change of topic. He'd loved Vic, too, but thinking about it still made him depressed.

"We were thinking this Saturday. Is that okay with all of you?"

"Sure," they all said in unison.

"Only, we still need to find somewhere big enough. We were looking at renting a park..."

"Why not just bring him to our house?" Brian asked, putting his arm around Justin possessively.

"I couldn't ask..." For the first time since planning the party, Michael felt like it was actually going to be a success.

"You're not. I'm offering."

"And I'm telling," Justin added.

Brian turned to look at him. "What's with this new bossy thing you've got going on?"

"You like it?" Justin asked, grinning.

"I think it's sexy," Brian whispered. He leaned over and they started to make out.

"Oh God, there goes my appetite," Ted grumbled, setting down his fork. Brian shot him the bird and continued what he was doing.

"Brian!" Michael screamed.

Brian rolled his eyes and turned toward Michael. "What?" He'd never understood why people made such a big deal about him and Justin making out in public. It wasn't like they were fucking or anything.

"The party," Michael reminded him impatiently.

"What about it? I told we could have it at the house."

"Fine. We'll be there on Saturday."

"Whatever." Brian started to turn back toward Justin.

"And don't even think about doing anything. Ben and I are taking care of everything. All you're doing is letting us use your house. Got it?"

"Ooh Mikey, now you're doing it, too?" Brian leaned over the table to kiss Michael. "I just got even harder."

"I'm serious!" Michael replied, leaning back out of Brian's reach.

"Fine. Whatever," Brian mumbled, rolling his eyes. "I would've thought a vacation to Florida would've helped work that stick out of your ass, Mikey."

"I don't have a stick up my ass!"

"Then what the fuck's your problem?"

"I just don't want to watch you and Justin make out all the time."

"Then look away," Brian shot back. He started to kiss Justin again.

Michael sighed and grabbed his plate. "I'm going to another table," he announced. Ted and Emmett looked at each other, glanced at Brian and Justin, and then followed Michael across the diner to an empty table. "He obviously doesn't know how to take a hint," Michael grumbled.

"Honey, relax. He's just doing it to irritate you," Emmett assured him. "If you'd ignore it, he'd stop."

"I can't ignore it!"

"I don't know what to tell you then," Emmett said. "Why are you so grumpy today anyway?"

"I'm not grumpy," Michael replied.

"You kind of are," Ted informed him.

"Fine, I'm a little grumpy. Sue me."

"That's not what we meant," Emmett soothed. "We're your friends, tell us."

"It's not anything bad. I'm just a little jet lagged is all. The trip was fun but it was so exhausting!"

"Were you and Ben getting busy?" Emmett asked with an arched eyebrow.

Michael blushed again. "A few times. We couldn't do too much because my mom was in the room next door and the walls were pretty thin."

"That's it. You just need a good lay. My advice: Go home, get naked, lay in bed, and wait for Ben to come home. Call me afterwards to check in."

"Thanks for your help, Dr. Honeycutt."

"No problem."

"You really think I should?" Michael asked. _Why am I always so indecisive!_

"Sweetie. It isn't should, it's have to. Go, please. Before you bite our heads off or something."

"Yeah," Ted seconded.

"Fine. I'll see you guys later." He put enough money to cover his share of the meal on the table and headed toward the door.

"Bye Mikey," Brian called after him.

* * *

That weekend, Michael and Ben had to force Hunter into the car. "I don't want to go to Brian and Justin's," he complained. "Lexi and I have plans!"

"When don't you?" Michael muttered from the passenger seat. "You still have to thank Brian for that hundred bucks he gave you for graduation."

"Can't I just call him or give him a blow job or something?" Hunter joked.

"Not funny," Michael replied. "Now quit whining and just have fun, okay?"

"Fine." Ben and Michael exchanged a secret smile.

When they got to Brian's house, Hunter noticed that there were a lot of cars in the driveway. "What's going on?" he asked curiously. Michael and Ben had told him that they were coming over for a barbeque or something.

"I have no idea," Michael lied. "Let's go check it out." They walked around the side of the house to the backyard. When Hunter spotted Lexi and Callie by the pool, he froze. "Surprise," Michael whispered.

"What's going on?" Hunter repeated. What were his friends doing at Brian's house?

"It's a graduation party," Brian said, coming out the back door. "For you."

"Oh." Hunter suddenly felt really bad for complaining so much about coming to Brian and Justin's house. "I don't know what to say."

"Well say something!" Debbie demanded, coming up behind him.

"Go on," Michael urged, giving Hunter a small shove forward.

"Thanks," he said simply.

"Poor kid, he's in shock," Deb noted. "Give him some time." She carried a covered tray of food over to the table on the patio.

Hunter went over to talk to his friends. "Hey," he said, kissing Lexi lightly on the cheek. "Did you know about this?"

"Your dads told me earlier in the week," Lexi answered. "They told me not to tell."

"Well it's definitely a surprise." He laughed. "How did you get away from your parents?" he asked Callie.

"I told them I was going out shopping for college."

"All day?"

"I can only stay for a few hours," Callie said. "But I figured it was better than not showing up at all."

"It is," Hunter assured her, giving Callie a quick hug. "I'm glad you could make it."

Justin walked over to them slowly. "I don't want to interrupt," he said, looking at Hunter apologetically.

"It's cool. What's going on?"

"The food's ready. My advice to you is to just go and have some now. If you don't Debbie will throw a fit."

"Tell me about it." They both laughed. "Come on guys," he said to Lexi and Callie. "Let's go eat something."

"Thanks. The last person I want her mad at is me," Justin joked, heading back toward the house.

Hunter, Lexi, and Callie made themselves a plate and sat down at the picnic table Brian had had delivered. "Can I talk to you for a second?" Michael asked Brian. He felt bad about the way he'd behaved earlier in the week.

"Sure. I could use a beer," Brian replied, holding the door open for Michael as they went into the house.

"Listen, I'm sorry I was such a shit the other day at the diner," Michael said, messing with his collar nervously. "You were nice enough to let us use your house and I acted like an ass."

"Forget it, Mikey. We've been friends too long for me to let your PMS get in the way of that," Brian teased.

"Very funny. Anyway, the problem's solved so you don't have to worry about it happening again."

"I wouldn't care if it did. I've put you through more than in enough shit and that's never stopped us from being friends."

"Well, almost..."

"Almost doesn't count." Brian grabbed Michael a beer and opened his own. "So, what do you think of the party?"

"It's nice. Hunter seems to be enjoying himself."

"How can you tell?" Brian joked. Hunter hadn't said much to anyone but his friends since he'd gotten there.

"He's still having trouble coming to terms with the fact that he has a family now," Michael explained. "By the time we leave I'm sure he'll be able to express his gratitude."

"Maybe we should slip him a few beers," Brian suggested. Michael gave him a stern look and he nodded. "Fine. No beer."

They went back outside and Michael looked over at Hunter and his friends. "Is that a new picnic table?" he asked, crossing his arms angrily.

"Yes," Brian admitted. "So what?"

"So what! I specifically told you that we had everything covered and that you were not to do anything toward the party."

"I didn't. We needed a picnic table anyway." He shrugged it off. "If it's that big of a deal, I'll move it."

"No. I believe you. Just...don't do anything else, okay? After everybody else leaves, I am staying and cleaning up and I don't want to hear one word out of you, got it?"

"Got it."

"Now let's go get something to eat before there's nothing left."

"My thoughts exactly." Brian put his arm around Michael and steered him toward the food table.

Debbie was watching Hunter and his friends chat. "I thought he'd have more friends," she said.

"Me, too," Carl agreed. "When my daughter graduated, we rented the township hall and it was packed, mainly because of her friends."

"Maybe they couldn't make it?" Emmett suggested. He followed Deb's gaze down to the other end of the table. "Or maybe he didn't invite them."

"Why wouldn't he invite them?" Ted asked. "Your friends are supposed to come to your graduation party. If for no other reason than to save you from your crazy relatives that insist on fawning all over you."

"That was the best part of my graduation," Debbie joked.

Brian, Justin, Michael, and Ben came to sit down. "The food's great Ma, thanks for making it all," Michael complimented.

"You're welcome, sweetie," Deb said distractedly. "Honey, where are the rest of Hunter's friends?"

"He doesn't have any more friends," Michael answered simply.

"Why not! A sweet young boy like him should have tons of friends."

"He had a few friends on the swim team before the whole school found out he was positive. After that, only Lexi stuck by him," Ben explained. "Callie came back around though."

"Little fuckers," Debbie grumbled. "Ostracizing the poor kid because he's got a disease."

"Kids are nasty these days, Deb," Justin reminded her. "They look for any excuse to be mean to someone."

"I wish I could say it gets easier in the real world, but I can't." Deb frowned.

"Tell me about it," Emmett muttered.

"Hunter's fine with it, Ma. Callie and Lexi are the only friends he needs," Michael assured her.

"At least they're good friends," Deb yielded.

After eating, Michael and Ben made Hunter cut the cake. "Look, I just want to say thanks to all of you guys for coming out here today. It means a lot to me. You're the family that I've always wanted and I couldn't be happier," Hunter said. Everybody clapped as Hunter cut the cake and began to put pieces onto plates. "Now lets' have some fucking cake!" He grabbed three pieces of cake and went back to his friends. "When you do have to leave?" he asked Callie. She pulled out her cell phone and checked the time.

"In a few minutes. I'll eat my cake. If I'm a little late I'll just say I got stuck in traffic or something."

"Nice. What are you going to tell them when you come home with no bags or anything?"

"The stores were sold out." Callie shrugged.

"Your parents better watch out, you're a sly one," Lexi teased.

The party really started as the night progressed. Once their food had settled, everyone jumped in the pool and played chicken. Hunter and Lexi came in second behind Brian and Justin every time. "I'm done," Lexi said, getting down off of Hunter's shoulders. "That was my workout for the week." She was breathing heavily and was looking a little pale. She hadn't brought a bathing suit and instead had just jumped into the pool with all of her clothes on.

"Are you okay?" Hunter asked, concerned. Michael and Ben listened intently.

"I'm fine. I guess I'm just not used to so much excitement. Let me catch my breath and then we'll beat them."

"It's probably those wet clothes weighing you down," Hunter suggested.

"Yeah, must be." Lexi chewed her lip.

True to his word, after the party was over, Michael insisted on cleaning up. "Don't touch anything!" he ordered Debbie as she began to pick up the tables.

"Why not?" she asked. "It's the least I can do."

"I've got it," Michael insisted. "You go spend some time with your grandson."

"You tell her Mikey," Brian joked. Michael smiled at him. It was nice to know that even though they had their minor falling outs, that no matter what happened, they'd always be friends.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **As the Fourth of July rolls around, Melanie and Lindsay return to Pittsburgh. Lexi is hiding something from Hunter.


	57. Gaiety

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Melanie and Lindsay vowed to come back to Pittsburgh for the Fourth of July.

Justin finished his painting and Brian promised to host an art show at Britin Manor.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Six

As it always does, time moved on and before they knew it, Brian and Justin were picking up Melanie and Lindsay at the airport again. "If I have to see the inside of this airport one more time, I'm going to go insane," Brian muttered.

"At least their flight's on time," Justin soothed. "We can be in and out before you go insane."

"There's a plus. I just hope that Gus doesn't get upset when they go back home. He's been doing so well."

"Yeah, he has. I'm sure he'll be fine. He might miss Mel and Linds, but he's been having the time of his life with us." Justin stroked Brian's arm comfortingly.

"The sad thing is that we only have about a month left and then he'll be leaving. It's going to be weird not having him around."

"Tell me about it. I've gotten used to having him in our everyday lives again. It's going to kill me watching him get on that plane." Justin could feel his throat constricting at the thought. Luckily, a diversion was headed his way.

Lindsay, Melanie, and little JR were walking toward them. "Hey guys!" Lindsay called, waving. Justin smiled and waved back.

"Please tell me you rented us a Porsche again," Melanie said to Brian, throwing her bags down at his feet.

"Sorry Mel, they were fresh out of Porsches, but I did finagle a brand new Jeep."

"Beggars can't be choosers," Mel said, though she couldn't mask her disappointment.

"Here," Brian handed the keys to Justin. "You drive the Jeep home."

"What for?" Justin asked. Both Melanie and Lindsay were able to drive.

"Will you just stop arguing and get in the fucking car?" Brian exclaimed. "I'll see you back at the house. Lindsay, you're coming with me."

"Great," Lindsay muttered jokingly.

"I guess that means it's you and me baby," Melanie said, getting into the passenger seat of the Jeep.

"Yep." Justin started the car and let it idle for a second. "You know, this is a really nice car." He looked around. "I can't believe he managed to get a brand new one."

"It is a little weird," Melanie agreed. "But you know how Brian is. He's not too shy to wave his wallet around."

"You're not wrong there." Justin laughed. "So how have you been? It feels like just yesterday that you and Linds were staying with us."

"Everything's great. How about you? Are you Brian managing to keep the spark going with Gus around all the time?" She arched her eyebrow.

"We manage more than you'd think," Justin admitted, laughing to cover his embarrassment. "In some ways, we've grown even closer in this past month."

"That's great! I didn't think it was possible for you and Brian to get any closer."

"Me either, but we have. I couldn't be happier." Justin smiled. "And Gus is doing so well. Brian taught him how to swim."

"Really? Wow. I guess he's not a half bad dad after all."

"Yeah, and he's riding his own horse. He's even done some drawings that he's been very eager to show you and Lindsay," Justin continued.

"I can't wait to see him! It's strange not having him there when I get home from work. I miss him."

"He misses you guys, too. He's been so excited all week since he found out you were coming."

Melanie grew quiet. "It sounds like he's really happy with you and Brian," she said quietly.

"He is, but I think he'll be happy to go back home, too."

"I just don't want to hurt him."

"What are you saying?" Justin took his eyes off the road for a second. "You're not thinking of moving back to Pittsburgh, are you? Not that I don't want you here," he amended.

"No, nothing like that. Lindsay's always saying that she has regrets about moving away, I guess it's my turn."

"You did the right thing," Justin assured her. "Gus and Jenny will grow up in a nicer environment thanks to yours and Linds's sacrifices."

"At the cost of their fathers?" Melanie shook her head. "Forget I said anything. I don't want to be a downer."

Justin did as he was told and at least pretended to forget what Melanie had said. When they got to the house, he pulled up behind Brian's Corvette and helped Mel carry her bags to the house.

"How did you like the car?" Brian asked, surprising Justin. He came around the other side of the Jeep.

"It was nice. I'm glad you let me drive it," Justin replied.

"Good, cause it's yours."

"What?" Justin dropped the bags he was carrying. _I finally have my own car!_

"I said it's yours," Brian repeated, smiling. "If you want it."

"I want it!" Justin cried. "What's the occasion?"

"Consider it a congratulatory present. For finishing your painting, and becoming rich."

"Rich? Aren't you jumping the gun a little bit? We haven't even had the art show yet. Who's to say anyone's even going to like my stuff?"

"If they don't, I'll kill them," Brian replied simply, slipping his arm through Justin's.

"Thank you," Justin whispered. _One more thing I'll have to make up for when I'm rich and famous._ "I love it!"

Lindsay was waiting in the foyer, wringing her hands excitedly. "Can I see it?" she asked, jumping up from her seat on the stairs. Justin couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, I'll let you look at it, but when we unveil it in a few days at the party you have to act surprised, okay?"

"I promise." Lindsay held up her right hand as though she were swearing on the Bible in court. She followed Justin into the studio and when he pointed to the painting, she gasped. "Justin, it's beautiful!" As a fellow artist, Lindsay had a good taste in art and Justin's painting was the most captivating work of art she'd seen in her life. Especially the most captivating that she'd ever seen that wasn't from one of the masters.

"Thank you. You don't think it's a little too much?" Justin was nervous and kept scratching his ear.

"It's perfect," Lindsay assured him. "I wish I would've painted it. The critics are going to eat it up. This could be your big break, kiddo."

"You really think so?" Justin laughed delightedly. As much as he had enjoyed Brian's gushing over the painting it was nice to have an expert opinion.

"Did you come up with a title for it yet?" Lindsay asked, unable to tear her eyes away from the manifold colors blended expertly all over the canvas.

"I was thinking of calling it _Bliss_, _Felicity_, _Delectation, _or _Gaiety_. What do you you think?"

"I'm not sure. They're all good. Too bad you couldn't just call it _Bliss, Felicity, Delectation, and Gaiety_," she replied.

Justin snickered. "That would be way over the top. I just can't decide which one I like best."

"Well, what was the emotion you were feeling when you made the painting?"

"Happiness," Justin replied. "I was conveying my happiness. That's why all of the titles mean happiness."

"I figured," Linds said. "I was hoping you'd use one of the words in your description, to see if one stuck out more than the others."

"I see." Justin nodded. "Good thinking. I like _Gaiety_. It's sort of a double entendre. Do you think that'll go over well with the critics?"

"Fuck the critics," Lindsay practically shouted. Immediately afterwards, she clapped her hand over her mouth and laughed. It wasn't often that Linds used profane language and when she did, she was usually pissed off. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize." Justin chuckled. "It's nice to see that my painting has had a profound effect on you."

"It has, believe me."

"I'm going to go with _Gaiety_ then," he decided, nodding his head.

"Great. As much as I'd love to stay here and talk art with you, I haven't seen my son in over a month and I'd better go spend some time with him."

"Good plan," Justin replied.

He followed Lindsay upstairs and into Gus's room. "Mommy!" Gus shouted when he saw her. He jumped off the bed and ran into her open arms.

"How have you been big boy?" Lindsay asked, hugging him tightly. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I've missed you so much!"

"I missed you, too." Gus looked over Lindsay's shoulder and saw the drawings Justin had done for him. "Look Mommy, you have to see these."

"What?" Gus took her hand and led her over to the bed. "Oh wow," she said when her eyes fell on the drawings. "These are really good."

"Justin drew them," Gus told her excitedly. "He's going to put them in his art show."

"Really?" Lindsay smiled over at Justin.

"They're not for sale though," Justin assured her. "Those are Gus's. He was having a hard time at first so I thought those would help him adjust to things."

"That what very nice of you."

"Wait until you see what he's done in his sketch book. He definitely inherited your artistic abilities."

"I think he inherited yours, too." Lindsay looked up at Justin and smiled warmly at him. Justin couldn't hold back his own smile.

"Thanks Lindsay," he said. "That means a lot to me."

Melanie paused in the doorway. "Linds, Michael and Ben are on their way over here to see us," she said.

"Already?" Lindsay had been looking forward to settling in a little before seeing everyone.

"That's what he said." Melanie frowned. She loved Michael very much, but sometimes he could be very overbearing, just like his mother.

"How long ago did you talk to him?" Lindsay got up from the bed and padded over to stand by Mel.

"We just got off the phone. He said they were leaving the house."

"That gives us about a half hour to relax before they get here," Lindsay pointed out.

"The pool's open if you want to go for a swim. It's heated."

"Actually, that's sound wonderful," Melanie said. "What do you think Linds?"

"Let's do it."

As Melanie and Lindsay headed into the guest room to get changed, Justin followed. "Do you know where Brian is?" he asked. After they'd gotten home, Brian had disappeared.

"I think he's down in his office," Melanie replied. "He said something about a new ad campaign or something."

"Thanks." Justin went downstairs and knocked on the door to Brian's office. "Brian?" he asked softly.

"Come in." Justin opened the door and took a seat at Brian's desk. Brian was pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Are you okay?" Justin asked. Brian had a tendency to work too hard despite Justin's warnings.

"Yeah. I just have a headache."

"Here." Justin crossed over to Brian and began to massage his shoulders. He could feel the tension in the muscles. "How does that feel?"

"Mmmm. Good," Brian moaned, closing his eyes.

"Why are you so tense?" Justin asked.

"What do you mean?" Brian opened his eyes.

"I can feel it in your shoulder muscles. Something's got you stressed."

"I'll be fine. It's just work stuff," Brian replied, waving it off.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Justin stopped massaging Brian's shoulders and sat down on his lap, wrapping his arms around Brian's neck.

"There isn't much to talk about to be honest," Brian admitted. "I got a new campaign and I'm having trouble coming up with a slogan is all."

Justin balked. "I never thought I'd see the day that you would have trouble coming up with a slogan. You must be spending too much time at home with me and Gus instead of at work."

"Maybe. But being here is more important. The best part of being my own boss is making my own hours. Coming and going as I please."

"Well I'm certainly not going to complain about you being here all the time. I just want you to do what's best for you. Don't sacrifice work because you feel bad about leaving me here with Gus."

"That's not all of it," Brian replied. "I feel bad leaving Gus here all day while I'm at work. He came to spend the summer with both of us. If I stayed at work, he'd be getting you and Daphne. I'd only get to see him for a couple of hours during the week and that's not enough for me."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me. You love our son, I can't fault you for that."

"I love you, too," Brian said. "But you already know that." He shrugged.

"I do. I'm going to let you in on a little secret though: I don't mind if you tell me over and over."

"Oh really? How's this? I love you."

"Ooh, say it again." Justin leaned forward, grinning.

"I love you," Brian repeated. They started to kiss. As things started to heat up, Brian dropped the folder in his hand and the papers scattered all over the hardwood floor.

"I better pick those up," Justin whispered, dropping to his knees and massaging Brian's inner thigh. He could see the bulge developing through the material and grinned. "While I'm down here, I may as well show my appreciation for your gift."

"You could do that," Brian said casually. "If you want."

"I want nothing more." Justin unzipped Brian's pants and opened wide.

* * *

Michael and Ben hadn't even pulled out of the driveway before Hunter was on the phone to Lexi. She picked up after a few rings. "What are you doing" he asked her anxiously.

"Not much. What are you doing?" Lexi replied. Hunter couldn't help but notice that her voice sounded thin and weak.

"Nothing. Do you want to come over? Michael and Ben aren't home and they won't be back for a few hours. We could...I don't know, hang out or something." _Wow, you sound like a total idiot,_ Hunter silently chastised himself.

"Is that like a code for have sex or something?" Lexi teased.

"Actually, I had something else in mind, but if you want to, I won't object."

"What exactly did you have planned?" Lexi seemed to perk up.

"I found some more pot in Michael's room. Maybe we could smoke a little," he suggested.

"That's fine. I'll be right over."

"Bye."

As soon as he was off the phone, Hunter ran upstairs to change out of his sweats. If Lexi was coming over, he wanted to look his best. He threw on some jeans and a hoodie, checking himself out in the mirror. _Not bad,_ he thought happily. Hunter had never loved anyone like he loved Lexi, not even Callie. He spent all day thinking about her and what the future held for them. "I love her," he muttered as he went back downstairs.

It didn't take Lexi long to get there. Hunter heard a light knock on the door and hurriedly threw it open. "Hey," he said as casually as he could. Lexi was standing in the direct sunlight and Hunter noticed that she was looking a little pale and that she had lost some weight. He planted a kiss on her cheek and let her in. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Not really," Lexi admitted, sitting down on the couch. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that you're pale and you look like you lost some weight."

"Just what every girl wants to hear," Lexi joked.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Hunter said, playfully whacking Lexi with a pillow.

"I know." She smiled sweetly up and him and rested her head on his chest. "I've missed you."

"I missed you, too." They hadn't seen each other as much as they'd wanted to since the graduation party. Lexi had gotten a job at a grocery store and as fate would have it, she worked on all the days that Hunter had off from the diner. "I think about you all the time."

"You're so sweet," Lexi whispered. "Nobody's ever been as good to me as you are."

"I love you Lexi."

"I love you, too." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "There's something I need to tell you," she confessed as she pulled away.

"Okay. I'm going to go grab the pot and you can tell me then." Hunter ran up and got the joint. He lit it up and took a hit. "Wow, this is strong," he muttered, handing it to Lexi.

"Actually, I shouldn't smoke that," she protested, handing it back.

"Since when?" Hunter asked. "You didn't turn it down at the all night party."

"Things were different then," Lexi muttered, shifting so that they were looking into each other's eyes.

"Wait a second. You're not...pregnant, are you?" Hunter asked. He could feel his heart racing in his chest and he started to panic. _Shit, what are we going to do? _He jumped up from the couch and started to nervously pace back and forth in front of Lexi. _Ben and Michael are going to kill me!_

"No. I'm not pregnant." Lexi started wringing her hands.

Hunter heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank God," he said under his breath. The idea of two people who were HIV positive having a kid was inconceivable to him. "So what's up then? Why are you so pale?"

"I've got a cold," Lexi said, though from the way she wouldn't meet Hunter's gaze, he guessed that she was lying.

"Hey," he said, kneeling down in front of her. "Whatever it is, you can tell me. I promise I won't get mad or anything."

Lexi's eyes started to tear up. She met his gaze for a second and smiled. "Forget it," she said, waving her hand. "It's not important."

"It seemed pretty important a few seconds ago," Hunter prompted, sitting back down next to Lexi and rubbing her arm comfortingly.

"Can we please just drop it?" Lexi begged. Hunter wanted to pursue it, but he couldn't push her, not when she looked so helpless.

"Fine. You can tell me later."

"Sure. Listen, I better get going home."

"Already? You just got here!"

"I know, I'm sorry. There's this cold going around at work and I think I caught it. From what I hear, it's pretty nasty and I don't want to risk giving it to you." She rose and walked to the door. "I'll call you later, okay?"

"Yeah," Hunter said stunned. Had he done something to offend Lexi? Had he pushed her to hard to reveal her secret? Had he completely ruined their future together? "I'll be here."

As Lexi closed the door behind her, she let the tears fall. She'd intended to tell him, she really had, but she just hadn't had the heart to hurt him. "Goodbye," Lexi sobbed.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin prepare for the art show.


	58. The Art Show

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Justin finished his painting and Brian offered to have an art show in his honor.

Melanie and Lindsay returned to Pittsburgh.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Seven

A few days later, Justin stood in front of the full-length mirror in the bathroom. He was struggling with his tie. _Calm down,_ he ordered himself. _This isn't your first art show, so stop being such a baby._ Sighing, he let his hands fall to his sides and sat down on the edge of the sink, taking deep, steadying breaths. The future of his career as an artist depended on how well the show went that night. If he blew it, he might as well pack up his art supplies and forget about it.

Brian stepped into the bathroom and looked over at him. "Is everything okay?" he asked, sitting down beside Justin.

"No," Justin admitted, sighing.

"What's wrong?" Brian reached over and rubbed Justin's shoulder. It had been a long time since he'd seen Justin so upset.

"I'm nervous as all hell." He shook his head and stood up, attempting to tie his tie. After a few failed tries, he gave up again.

"Here. Let me." Brian stood behind him and tied it. "There. You look beautiful."

"Thanks." A faint smile tugged at Justin's lips.

"Look, you have nothing to worry about, okay? Your work is good. They're going to love you." He smiled reassuringly.

"You don't know that!" Justin exclaimed, pacing. "I could flop and fuck it all up."

"Would you listen to yourself? This isn't you."

"What do you mean?" Justin whirled to face Brian.

"What ever happened to the kid who was scared shitless to come home with me but did it anyway? Or who was afraid to defy his father and go for an art degree instead of an MBA but listened to his heart and did what _he_ wanted?"

Justin let that sink in. "I don't know," he admitted. "I'm so scared, Brian. I don't think I've ever been this scared before."

"I know. Come here." Brian wrapped his arms around Justin and held him close. "I know you're scared, but that's normal. Next week when your rave reviews are out, you'll feel much better."

"What rave reviews?" Justin grumbled, closing his eyes.

"The ones you're going to get for your incredible artwork. That is, if you ever come downstairs."

"And if no one likes my work? What then? I just live off of you for the rest of my life?"

"I don't mind." Brian pulled away and looked down into Justin's eyes. "As long as you're happy."

"Well I do mind! I've wanted this all my life. Besides you and a family, I've never wanted anything else."

"Then what's stopping you? The hard part's already over. You've done the work, now you just have to let fate run its course."

"What if I let everyone down? Make a fool of myself?"

"Do you really care what a bunch of stuffy art critics think?" Brian challenged him.

Justin chewed his lip for a second. "Not really," he admitted. "But I don't want to disappoint you."

"Me? Justin, you could never disappoint me. I am so proud of you. I thought you knew that."

"I'm sorry." Justin shuffled his feet. "It's just the nerves talking."

"Let's see if I can't scare away your nerves." Brian grabbed Justin and pulled him into a tight embrace, kissing him passionately. When the kiss broke, he smiled down at Justin. "Well?" he prompted.

"They're gone," Justin replied, laughing. "For now at least."

"We'd better get downstairs. The guests will be arriving soon."

"Promise me one thing?" Justin begged, grabbing Brian's hand and holding it tightly.

"Anything," Brian replied, his eyes scanning Justin's face.

"Don't leave my side––at all?"

"Not even for a second." Justin rested his head on Brian's shoulder as they left the bedroom.

Downstairs, a few guests had already arrived. Thankfully, they were all friends. Mel and Linds were helping Debbie set up the tables of food. "Hey Sunshine!" Deb trilled, putting down a plate of hors d'oeuvres and hugging him. "I can't wait to see your stuff. Give 'em hell!"

"Thanks Deb. I'll do my best." Justin blushed a little from all the attention.

"You're going to do great, Justin. If they don't like your work then they must have something wrong with their eyesight," Lindsay said, smiling kindly.

"You don't know how much that means to me Linds." Justin gave her a quick hug and grabbed a flute of champagne from the table. He downed it in one gulp and when the doorbell rang, went to answer to the door.

"Is he okay?" Melanie asked, her brows scrunched in concern.

"He's a little nervous," Brian replied. "Tonight's a big deal for him. This could be his big break."

"Poor guy," Lindsay muttered. "At least he's got us here for support."

"Speaking of which," Brian started to walk away, "I promised I'd stick with him all night."

"You know," Mel said to Lindsay conspiratorially. "I like him a lot more now."

"Me, too," Lindsay admitted.

Justin opened the door and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Michael, Ben, Calvin, Ted, and Blake. "Thank God," he said, laughing. "I thought it was the art critics."

"No, sorry to disappoint," Michael joked, stepping in. "Congratulations." He gave Justin a quick hug before Debbie spotted him and called him over.

"Congratulations, sweetie!" Emmett gave Justin two air kisses and led Calvin over to the food table.

"_Felicitations_," Ted said with a wry smile.

"Thanks?" Justin laughed. "Why did you just say congratulations in French?"

"I figured you were sick of hearing it in English."

"You're so considerate," Justin joked "No wonder Blake loves you."

"It's more than that," Blake replied with a wink. Justin laughed.

A hand of the small of his back startled Justin. "It's just me," Brian whispered, kissing the back of his neck. "I promised I wouldn't leave you all night and I intend to keep that promise."

"Just one more reason that I love you," Justin replied, turning to face Brian. "If you keep this up, we might just have to excuse ourselves during the show." Justin grinned devilishly.

"As much as I'd love that, you can't walk out on your show. But I'm free afterwards." Brian patted Justin's ass and whisked him off to their friends.

When Daphne arrived she couldn't help but pick up on Justin's anxiety. "Everything's going to be fine," she promised, smiling encouragingly.

"How did you know?" Justin asked. He hadn't said anything to her except "hi."

"Come on Justin, we've been friends since kindergarten. I know when something's bothering you, even when you don't say it."

"Isn't that cute," Brian teased, planting a kiss on Daphne's cheek. "Is it just me or have you gotten even more hot Daphne?" he asked, sizing her up with his eyes.

"Umm...I don't know?" Daphne blushed and giggled.

"It must be the pregnancy. Supposedly there's nothing more beautiful than a pregnant woman. If you ask me, there are plenty of things more beautiful: a nice, hard dick for one."

"Anyway," Justin interrupted, grabbing Daphne's hand. "I promised you could see the painting after Lindsay."

They snuck into the studio and Justin pointed to the canvas. "What do you think?" he asked.

"Justin it's...beautiful," Daphne whispered, breathless. She had never seen anything more beautiful in all her life and felt deeply honored to be able to see it before the general public.

"See? I think it's great, Lindsay thinks it's great, Daphne thinks it's great. You have nothing to worry about," Brian said. "Now let's get back to the party."

By the time they got back into the foyer, the critics had arrived. Justin hurriedly downed another glass of champagne. Someone had to welcome the guests and thank them for coming; Brian had talked Justin into doing it. "It's your show," he said. "It wouldn't be right for anyone else to do it."

"Fine," Justin grumbled, clearing his throat loudly. "Can I have everyone's attention for a moment, please?" he said, loud enough for everyone to hear. The guests stopped talking and turned to face Justin. "Thanks. First, I'd like to welcome everyone to my art show. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Justin Kinney-Taylor. I look forward to showing all of you my latest work. I've been working on it for quite awhile now, so I hope you like it. Thank you for coming and I hope you have a great time." He raised his third glass of champagne in a toast and everyone else did likewise. "To art."

"To art," the others repeated.

Justin turned to Brian. "How was that?" he asked, wringing his hands nervously.

"It was great. Just relax, they're going to love you." He smiled reassuringly and grabbed Justin's hand. "The first piece is over here," he announced, pointing to the painting hanging on the wall by the stairs. It was the family portrait that Justin had started in New York. "The rest are in the studio, feel free to walk around and take a look at everything. We have food over here if you're hungry."

"Thanks," Justin whispered. "I didn't even think of that." He spotted a few critics that he recognized from his last show before he'd move to New York. "Hide me," he said, standing behind Brian.

"What for?" Brian asked, crinkling his brows.

"Just go with it," Justin hissed. He didn't want Simon Caswell to see him.

A man walked over, looking at the portrait on the wall. "This is very nice," he commented in accented English. He sounded like he was from Brooklyn or New York.

"Why is there a guy from Brooklyn here?" Justin asked Brian.

"I invited him," Brian replied simply. "Jackson," he called.

"Ah, you must be Brian," Jackson said, extending his hand. "We spoke on the phone, right?"

"Yeah that was me. This is the reason I called you: Justin, meet Jackson Martin."

"It's nice to meet you," Justin said politely, shaking Jackson's hand. "So, what brings you to West Virginia?"

"You, actually," Jackson replied.

"Me?" Justin turned to look at Brian, who smiled.

"Your husband called me and said that this was the greatest art show of the twenty first century. That a very promising young artist was showing his greatest work."

"He's over exaggerating," Justin said, shooting Brian a helpless look.

"I disagree. From what I've seen so far, you are very talented."

"Thanks." Justin could feel his face flushing. "Have you seen the new piece yet?" he asked.

"No, but I've been dying to. Where is it?" Jackson looked around.

"It's in the studio. Here, I'll show you."

Brian and Justin led Jackson into the studio where the majority of Justin's works were on display. Right by the door, the drawings he had done for Gus were hanging; on the far wall, the nude drawing of Brian hung. Gus had gone to stay with Lindsay's mother for the night, so the piece could be displayed. The new painting was right above the fireplace. "It's right here," Justin said as they stopped in front of the painting.

"Wow!" Jackson exclaimed. "He wasn't kidding!"

"Thanks." _Wow is right!_

"What do you call it?" Jackson wondered, his eyes still glued to the display.

"_Gaiety,_" Justin replied. "It's another word for happiness. When I started the painting, I was overwhelmed with joy; I'd just gotten married to the man of my dreams and as the painting progressed, other joys came into my life. It's an expression of that happiness."

"It will be perfect," Jackson muttered.

"Perfect for what?" Justin inquired, chewing his lip.

"For the Peter Blum Gallery."

Justin's heart leapt into his throat. "The Peter Blum Gallery!" he exclaimed, suddenly feeling a little dizzy. It was a prestigious art gallery. The only catch was that it was in New York.

"Here." Brian brought over a chair and helped him sit down. "I told you to break it to him gently, Jack," Brian teased.

"Sorry, I forgot that you're new to all of this. I work for the gallery and your husband read online that we were looking to update our collection with more modern works. This will be the perfect start to your very own exhibit. How does that sound?"

"Great," Justin said, not entirely comprehending what was happening. He could hear his pulse pounding in his ears. _My own exhibit in the Peter Blum Gallery! But how?_

"Of course, we will buy the painting off of you first. I'll give you two million dollars for this."

"Two _million!_" Justin's jaw dropped and beside him, a proud smile tugged at Brian's lips.

"I'd say that's fair, wouldn't you?" Jackson quirked an eyebrow.

"I'd say it's more than fair," Justin replied, flying to his feet. _I'm going to be rich!_

"Are there any other works here that are for sale?"

Justin thought for a second. He definitely didn't want to part with the family portrait or the nude Brian. "Those ones over there can go," he answered, pointing to the collection of paintings he'd done a few years back. They were good, but not as good as _Gaiety_.

"Perfect! We'll negotiate the price for those ones later. I'm sorry, but I have to excuse myself. I have another showing in Philadelphia and if I want to make it, I have to get on the road now. Good night." With one last smile, Jackson turned on his heel and left.

"Good night," Justin called after him. He was practically floating on air. In the span of twenty minutes, his greatest dream had come true and it was all thanks to Brian.

"Congratulations Sunshine, you're going to rich and famous," Brian said, kissing him.

"I couldn't have done it without you," Justin replied, wrapping his arms around Brian. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too." Brian smiled and leaned back down to kiss him.

They kissed again, but were interrupted by Debbie. "Who was that guy?" she asked.

"What guy?" Justin shot back. He assumed that she meant Jackson, but wasn't sure.

"The hot guy!" Deb hissed. "I saw him talking to you excitedly. Did he buy any of your stuff?"

"Not only that, he's giving me my own exhibit in the Peter Blum Gallery in New York!" Justin explained excitedly.

"Holy Fuck!" Debbie screamed, causing everyone in the room to turn toward her. "My baby's going to be rich!" She threw one arm around Brian and the other around Justin, pulling them both close to her chest. "You're finally a real artist!"

Jennifer and Molly came over, having heard Deb's outburst. "Is it true honey?" Jennifer asked, tears in her eyes.

"Yes, Mom. He bought the painting for two million dollars, can you believe it!"

"Oh, my God!" Jennifer hugged Justin and kissed the top of his head. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Me, too," Debbie interjected. "I always knew you'd go far."

"Thanks guys, really." All of the insanity was getting to Justin. "I need to go outside and get some fresh air. Brian." He nodded toward the kitchen.

"Excuse us," Brian said, following Justin through the house and onto the back patio.

As soon as he was out in the cool night air, Justin felt a little better. "I can't believe it," he mused. "Just like that," he snapped his fingers, "my life has changed."

"You deserve it," Brian said, leading them to the picnic table and sitting down. "You've worked hard to improve your skills and overcome a horrible event that could've ended your career forever. But you didn't let it stop you."

"I would have," Justin reminded him. "If you hadn't pushed me to keep it up. You bought me that computer for school."

"I knew that if you gave up, you'd regret it. You have so much talent Sunshine, to let it go to waste would be...unthinkable."

Justin looked over at Brian and smiled. "So now that I'm about to be rich, how about we take a little vacation?"

"Another one?" Brian groaned dramatically. "Where do we have left to go?"

"I was thinking we could go camping. In the backyard."

"Sounds good to me," Brian replied. "Gus would enjoy it, I'm sure."

"Of course he will. You know how much he's been wanting to camp. He'll be in heaven."

"He will or you will?" Brian retorted, raising his eyebrows.

"I'll be in heaven after everyone leaves tonight and you and I can celebrate."

"We don't have to wait," Brian said seriously. "We're all alone out here."

"What happened to 'As much as I'd love that, you can't walk out on your show?'" Justin challenged.

"Fuck it. They're doing fine without you. I'm sure Lindsay can bore them with art talk until we're done." He started to loosen his tie as Justin rose and climbed up onto the picnic table.

* * *

Back inside, the critics were amazed. "Such amazing talent for someone so young!" one woman exclaimed, looking at the drawings Justin had given to Gus. "He'll definitely be getting a rave review from me. I can't remember the last time I met an artist with so much raw talent. I fear that young artists these days are just like pop stars: no talent, yet somehow they make it. Its good to see someone with a real gift."

"I couldn't agree more," the man next to her said. "He's definitely got a future in the business."

"He's going to be so delighted to hear that," Lindsay said from behind them. They turned to look at her. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear. I'm Lindsay Peterson, a close friend of the artist." The man smiled and excused himself.

"Really? Maybe you can tell us a bit about where he trained, then," woman said. "I'm Michelle Henshaw, perhaps you've heard of me?"

"Of course! You're the art critic for _Art/Now_ _Magazine_, right?"

"That I am, my dear." Michelle smiled kindly. "So where did he study art?"

"He's still a student at the Pittsburgh Institute of Fine Arts," Lindsay explained.

"Really? Wow, not even graduated and already he has his own show. You must be awfully proud of him."

"I am. We all are. So, you think his reviews will be good?"

"Believe me, Ms. Peterson, the only reviews this young man is going to get are positive ones."

"That's so great to hear! You see, I'm an artist myself and I gave up on my dream of an art career. Instead, I settled for teaching it. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have my works on display for people to see. I wouldn't want him to miss that opportunity."

"He won't. Not if I have anything to say about it." Michelle chuckled.

Lindsay excused herself and found Melanie talking to Emmett and Ted. "So, what's the verdict?" Emmett asked, licking his lips anxiously.

"Another positive review," Lindsay replied, grinning broadly. "Everybody here has nothing but nice things to say about his work. But we can't tell him yet. He has to wait until all of the reviews are printed in next week's articles."

"Let's just hope he doesn't go crazy until then," Melanie muttered, sipping her champagne.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Lexi's secret is revealed, with disastrous results. Justin gets his reviews.


	59. Lexi's Secret

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin hosted an art show at Britin Manor, where Justin got rave reviews.

Lexi started to drift away from Hunter.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Hunter was going out of his mind. He'd been calling Lexi every five minutes for the past few hours and she had not picked up once. She always picked up. He'd tried her cell phone and the home phone. He'd even emailed her half a dozen times. What the hell was going on! Now that he thought about it, Hunter realized that Lexi had been acting very strange the last time she'd been over. That plus her pale, gaunt appearance worried him.

Michael was at work for the day and Ben had gone out to buy some groceries. _No better time to slip out and go see what's going on with Lexi,_ Hunter decided. He left a note on fridge telling them where he'd be if he wasn't already back by the time Ben came home.

Lexi lived a few blocks up the street and the whole walk Hunter's mind raced. She'd said she wasn't pregnant, so what else could be bothering her? If he had done something to upset her, surely she would've said something, right? Then a thought struck him. _What if she wants to break up with me?_ He could feel his gut tightening with dread. _Please God, anything but that,_ he prayed.

When Hunter got to Lexi's house, he paused outside, checking out the situation. Antonique's Blazer was in the driveway, but Robert's Nova was nowhere to be seen. If someone was home, why hadn't they picked up the phone? It was three o'clock in the afternoon, everybody should be awake. Setting his chin determinedly, Hunter marched up the driveway to the front porch and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, a very harried looking Antonique answered the door. Her hair was matted as though she'd not brushed it yet and there were dark circles under here eyes. Hunter couldn't help but notice mascara streaks on her cheeks. _Why has she been crying?_ he wondered, heart pounding in his chest. "Hey Mrs. Harold," he said politely.

"Hi Hunter." Antonique's voice was hoarse. Maybe she and Robert had had a fight?

"I'm sorry to bother you, I just wanted to check up on Lexi. I keep calling her but she hasn't gotten back to me."

"Oh." Antonique took a deep breath. "Actually, you just caught me on my way out the door. Can we talk about this later?" She seemed to be in a hurry to get rid of him.

"Sure. Can I come in and see Lexi?" he asked, taking a step forward.

"Lexi's not here," Antonique said quickly.

Hunter froze. What was going on? "Do you know where she is? I'm starting to freak out here." He laughed nervously.

"Look, I really have to go," Antonique said, closing the door behind her.

"Please, just tell me what's going on," Hunter begged, following Antonique to the car.

"Get in," she mumbled, sighing. Hunter got in the car and looked over at her. "You might want to brace yourself, Hunter."

"Why? God you're scaring me! What's going on?" Hunter could feel sweat breaking out on his forehead and he self-consciously wiped it away.

Antonique stared at him for a second before answering. "Something happened." Her bottom lip started to tremble and tears spilled down her cheeks.

"With Lexi?" Hunter asked, feeling his throat constrict. _Please don't let her be dead!_

"Yeah," Antonique confirmed, sniffling. "She's sick, Hunter."

"But she's okay though, right?" Antonique wouldn't meet his gaze. "Oh God," he gasped, feeling the sting of tears.

"She's dying." Hunter's heart stopped beating for a second. "We don't know how long she has left, but the doctors don't think it will be much longer."

"Why didn't she tell me!" Hunter demanded. "I knew something was wrong when I saw her last week."

"Please don't be angry with her. She doesn't want you to see her like this."

"Like what?" Trepidation began to set in.

"She's got Kaposi's Sarcoma." Antonique reached into her purse for some tissues to wipe her tears away.

"What exactly does that mean?" Hunter had heard of it before, but right now he couldn't remember anything.

"It's a kind of cancer that's common among people with AIDS. Before you see her, you should know what to expect: she's covered in lesions. They're all over her body."

"That's why she wore so many layers. I thought she was just suffering from a cold or something."

"That's what she wanted you to think. Listen Hunter, she needs you. She could die at any time and I know how much she loves you."

"I'm not going to leave her," Hunter promised. "I couldn't live with myself if something happened while I wasn't there."

"What about Ben and Michael?"

"I'll explain it to them. They'll understand." Hunter stared out the window.

"There's no cure for it," Antonique added. "If we'd found out sooner, maybe the doctors could have delayed the effects for a few years..." Her voice broke again.

"When did this start?" Hunter asked. He figured that it wasn't something that had just afflicted Lexi overnight.

"We don't know exactly. Lexi didn't tell us until the lesions were visible on her face and neck. By then it was too late. The doctors believe that it's been awhile." Hunter clenched his jaw to refrain from punching something.

When they got the hospital, Antonique led him up to Lexi's room. Before walking in, Hunter took a moment to collect himself. It wouldn't do to upset Lexi, so he had to regain his composure. Taking a deep breath, he followed Antonique in and froze. Lexi was lying on the bed. Her skin was as white as the bed sheets and there were purplish lesions all over her body. If it was possible, she looked even skinnier than she had the last time he'd seen her. Hunter felt his throat constrict again. "Hey," he managed, tentatively sitting on the edge of the bed and taking her cold hand in his.

"Hunter?" Lexi rasped, slightly raising her head off of the pillow. He could tell that she was weak, barely hanging on, and it broke his heart. He felt the tears come again, but quickly blinked them away. _Not in front of Lexi!_ he vowed.

"I'm here, baby," he whispered, kissing her hand. He went to kiss her lips, but she turned her head. "What is it?" he asked, afraid that he had done something subconsciously.

"You can't kiss me. It can be passed through saliva." That's why she hadn't kissed him in a couple of weeks.

"Sorry." Hunter kept a hold of her hand.

There were so many things that he wanted to ask her. Why hadn't she told anybody that she was sick? Why had she pushed him away at a time when she needed him most? What was he going to do without her?

"No. I'm sorry." Lexi's voice was barely a whisper and just hearing it brought tears to Hunter's eyes. "I should've told you sooner. I didn't want you to have to watch me die. Its scary enough for me and I'm going through it now, imagine how it would be if you get it one day." Hunter hadn't thought about that.

"You don't have to apologize, I understand." He kissed her hand again. "But I'm not going anywhere, okay? You're going to get better and I'm going to be with you every step of the way."

"That's a generous lie," Lexi replied. "We both know I'm not going to get better. I'm dying, Hunter, but the good news is that I have no regrets. These last few months with you have been the best of my life and I know that I'll see you again in Heaven."

"Don't say that. Please." Hunter couldn't fight the tears anymore. "Please."

"Sorry," Lexi repeated. "I didn't mean to upset you. Tell me something that's been going on in the real world. Help me take my mind off this."

Hunter nodded sadly. "Do you remember that friend of Michael's, Justin?" Lexi nodded stiffly. "He had an art show the last week and supposedly they're going to be showing his work in some gallery in New York."

"That's incredible. He's such a nice guy, I can tell. Will you tell him congratulations for me?"

"Of course I will. He liked you, you know."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he thought you were sweet. He said that you reminded him of his best friend Daphne." Lexi laughed, but it turned into a hacking cough. "What else? Oh! Mel and Linds are visiting for the holiday and Michael's been taking care of JR for the past few days."

"She's such a pretty baby," Lexi murmured, closing her eyes. A few seconds later, she'd drifted off to sleep.

Antonique came up behind Hunter and squeezed his shoulder. "Why don't you go call Michael and Ben, let them know where you are? I'll sit with her." Hunter nodded and kissed Lexi's hand again before walking out into the hall. He dialed the home phone but no one answered. Michael was at work and Hunter didn't want to interrupt him, so he decided to call Ben.

"Hey pal, what's going on?" Ben asked when he answered.

"I'm at the hospital," Hunter rasped. He had lost control of his emotions as his body was wracked with sobs.

"Are you okay!" Ben demanded, his voice panicked.

"It's not me. It's Lexi." Hunter sniffled and took one of the tissues Antonique had given him out of his pocket to wipe his nose.

"Is she all right?"

"She's dying. The doctors say she has Kaposi's Sarcoma."

"I've heard of it. Listen, I'll be right there, okay? Don't go anywhere."

"I won't."

Hunter must have spaced out because what felt like seconds later, Ben was sitting beside him on the bench outside Lexi's room. "Hey," he said, putting his arms around Hunter. That was the last straw. Hunter sobbed into Ben's chest, not caring that people were watching him. "Shhh," Ben soothed, stroking Hunter's hair. "I've got you."

"Ben?" Antonique asked, stepping out of the room.

"Antonique. Hunter called me and told me what's going on...I'm so sorry. I..."

"Thanks." Antonique shook her head. "I'm going to get something from the vending machines, do either of you want something?"

"No, thanks," Ben replied. Hunter shook his head sadly. Antonique nodded and walked off down the hall.

Ben stared into Lexi's room for a second. He could see her limp form lying in the hospital bed, covered in lesions. _Poor girl,_ he thought sadly. He'd heard that Kaposi's Sarcoma was painful. Hunter sat forward and ran his fingers through his hair. "They don't know how long she has," he muttered, his voice sounding hollow.

"I'm so sorry, Hunter."

"Don't be. You didn't do this to her." Hunter clenched his fists tightly.

"What do you mean?"

"You're not the one who infected her. I just hope that whoever did is suffering just like she is."

"Hunter," Ben said softly. "Don't talk like that. Is that what Lexi would want?"

"No."

"Why don't you stay here with her? I'll let Michael know what's going on and we'll be in to check up later."

"Okay."

Before he left, Ben quietly walked into Lexi's room, not wanting to wake her. As he got closer to the bed, the full extent of her ailment became apparent. _Oh my God!_ His hand flew to his mouth and he stepped back a bit subconsciously. _This could be me_, he realized. His heart started to race and he quickly left the room. Even though he was always complimented on his kindness and compassion, Ben couldn't do it. Being close to Lexi, watching her die from a disease that could very well kill him one day...it was too much. _I'm sorry,_ he thought.

* * *

The new issues of the leading art magazines were on the shelves. Justin had insisted that they go to the supermarket and check out the reviews. Brian had happily obliged, figuring that if it would help put Justin at ease, it was worth it. Nervously, Justin picked up the first one, _Art/Now Magazine. _Brian and Lindsay stood behind him, waiting. Justin opened up to the page that the reviews were on and paused. Did he really want to read this? If it was bad, could be deal with it? He had thought that getting an exhibit of his own at the Peter Blum Gallery was enough, but he suddenly realized that that meant nothing if no one else liked his work. "Well?" Brian prompted, taking a step forward.

"I can't do it," Justin declared, handing the magazine over to Brian.

"Fine, I'll read it." Brian skimmed the page and looked up at Justin. "Do you want to read it out loud?"

"Go for it," Justin blurted, shuffling his feet.

Brian cleared his throat. "The other night, I had the great privilege of attending an art show for a very talented young artist by the name of Justin Kinney-Taylor. Never in my thirty years on staff have I ever seen such talent in someone so young. Mr. Kinney-Taylor has revived my faith in the future of the art world and it is my opinion that the future holds much promise for him." Brian looked up at Justin, who was standing open mouthed in shock. "God, who writes like that?" he wondered.

"Shh!" Lindsay smacked his arm and turned to Justin. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm more than okay. I'm great!" Justin exclaimed, running to Brian and kissing him passionately. "Did you hear that! I got a rave review from Michelle Henshaw! Do you know how tough of a critic she is?"

"No," Brian admitted, shrugging. He wasn't really one for the art world. Sure, he appreciated it, but not the extent that he would attend an art show other than Justin or Lindsay's and would never pick up an art magazine.

"This is huge! I made it!"

"I told you it would be fine," Brian replied, pulling Justin into his arms. "Congratulations Sunshine."

"Yeah, good job Justin."

"Thanks guys." Justin smiled his radiant smile and threw his arms up excitedly. "I made it!" he shouted.

People turned to stare in their direction, but one warning look from Brian was enough to make them mind their own business. "Let's go home and celebrate," he said, slipping his arm around Justin's waist.

"You haven't done enough celebrating already?" Lindsay muttered. Brian looked over at her. "Hopefully you guys are more quiet when Gus is around." Brian chuckled and continued walking. "What!" Lindsay demanded.

"Nothing Linds," Brian answered with a sneer. "Forget it."

Melanie, Debbie, Jennifer, and Emmett were waiting for them back at the house. "Well?" Debbie asked as soon as Justin walked in the door. She was wringing her hands and chewing her lip.

"Don't keep us waiting!" Emmett demanded.

"They were all good!" Justin exclaimed. Everyone except Brian enveloped Justin in a group hug.

"Congratulations Sunshine!" Debbie exclaimed, kissing him. "I am so proud of you."

"We all are," Melanie said. "You've done a great job. We couldn't be happier for you."

"Thanks." Justin threw himself down on the couch. "I am so relieved, you have no idea! I haven't been able to eat anything in two days. I'm starving."

"Well you're in luck. I baked a cake in honor of your reviews," Deb announced.

"But how did you know?" Justin asked, sitting up.

The night of the party, Lindsay had told Debbie what she had learned from the critics. They had decided that it was best to pretend that it had never happened. "I knew there was no way you'd get a bad critique," Debbie lied. "Not with as much talent as you have. Now come on and eat some cake before I whoop your skinny bubble butt."

"Yes ma'am," Justin joked, standing up and following the others into the kitchen. Sitting on the table was a big chocolate cake with 'Congrats Sunshine' written on it. "Oh, you guys." Justin laughed. Everyone grabbed a piece––even Brian.

"I'm surprised you're having some," Debbie said. "Aren't you afraid you might actually have more than muscle on your body?"

"Very funny Deb," Brian said, taking a bite of the cake for her benefit. "And no, I'm not worried about putting on weight. I'll burn it off later tonight." He winked at Justin.

"I should've known," Deb muttered.

"I wish I didn't," Mel replied with a tight smile.

"We're not that loud," Brian objected.

"You keep on thinking that," Lindsay interjected. "Maybe one day it'll be true." Justin blushed and sank down into his seat. Jennifer cleared her throat uncomfortably.

Emmett picked up on Justin's discomfort and kindly changed the subject. "So what's next for you sweetie?" he asked.

"I have to finalize the details with Jackson, but if everything goes according to plan, they're going to start setting up my exhibit soon."

"That's great." Emmett smiled kindly. "You know that once that's up and running we're all going flock off to New York to see it, right?"

"You guys really don't have to..." Justin began.

"Don't be crazy Sunshine! We're going and that's that!" Debbie exclaimed, shooting Justin her no nonsense look.

"Well, it looks like you're going to get that trip to New York that you've always wanted."

"I can't wait!" Emmett clapped excitedly. " Last time I was there, I didn't have time to do anything fun. I've been dying to go see a show on Broadway."

"We know," the others said in unison.

"Good," Emmett sniffed.

Debbie, Jennifer, and Emmett left after they had finished their cake. Melanie and Lindsay insisted on cleaning up. "We're staying here for free, the least we can do is do a little cleaning up," Lindsay explained.

"Whatever," Brian replied. "Have fun. We're going to get some exercise."

"Thanks for sharing," Mel said under her breath.

Brian and Justin went upstairs to the bedroom. "I'm so proud of you," Brian said, looking deep in to Justin's eyes. Justin grinned and slipped out of his clothes.

"Thanks." He kissed Brian intensely and pulled him down onto the bed.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **The gang celebrate the Fourth of July.


	60. The Fourth of July

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Lexi developed the fatal Kaposi's Sarcoma and was admitted to the hospital.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Debbie was on a mission. She had decided to throw a barbeque in honor of the Fourth of July, and wanted to have it at her house, until Emmett had politely reminded her that she didn't have a big enough backyard or a grill. "I'd ask Brian and Justin, but I don't want to keep butting in on their marital bliss," she confessed.

"Please, you know how much Brian loves a party. Just ask him," Emmett encouraged.

She shrugged. Brian did enjoy partying. "You're right. And if he doesn't want to have it there, we can always have it at Michael and Ben's."

A few days later, after several failed attempts to get in contact with either Michael or Ben, Deb called a meeting at the diner. "Have any of you seen him?" she asked, wringing her hands nervously. The fact that she hadn't heard from Michael in over a week was worrying her to no end. They talked every day. Something had to be wrong.

"No," they all said, confused. Was Michael in some kind of trouble?

"The last time I saw him was at Justin's show," Lindsay contributed, smiling grimly.

"He hasn't really even seen JR since we've been here," Melanie added. "I would've thought that he would want her for the whole time, but after a day he dropped her back off with no explanation." Now that wasn't Michael. He loved his daughter more than anything in the world.

"And he hasn't talked to you?" Debbie asked Brian. Michael always talked to Brian.

"No," Brian repeated. "What's all this about, Deb?"

"I've been trying to get in touch with that little shithead all week and he hasn't called me back! I stopped by the house the other day, but no one was home. I've left several messages! Something has to be wrong, Michael always returns my calls."

"That's because he's afraid you'll beat the shit out of him," Brian said, chuckling.

"I'm not kidding!" Deb exclaimed. "I'm really worried about him. Please," she begged.

Brian sighed. "Fine. I'll stop by the house on my way home and see if I can't rouse him."

"Thanks," Debbie said, grabbing Brian's hand and holding it tightly. "If there's anyone that can through to him, it's you."

"Do you think he's in some kind of trouble?" Justin asked, chewing his lip.

"I don't know anymore, Sunshine," Debbie admitted. "The way he's acting, anything's possible."

After the meeting at the Diner, Brian and Justin stopped off at Michael and Ben's house. "Wait out here," Brian said, getting out of the car. "I'll be right back."

"Okay." Justin watched Brian walk up to the door and knock. There was no reply.

"Michael!" Brian bellowed, pounding on the door. A few seconds later, a very tired and harried looking Michael opened the door. "Ah, Mikey. Long time, no see."

"Sorry," Michael said, fastening his bathrobe tightly.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Brian continued walking past Michael and into the house.

"Come on in," Michael grumbled, closing the door behind him.

Brian stopped just inside the door. "Where have you been, Mikey?" he asked, leaning against the wall.

"Look, I'm sorry I've been so distant lately. It's just that I have a lot going on right now," Michael explained, running his hand through his hair to get rid of the bed head.

"Like what?" Brian challenged, smirking. "Running the comic book store? You've been doing that for years now so it shouldn't be too overwhelming."

"You don't even know," Michael grumbled, sighing.

"Well I'd like to," Brian continued. "Just tell me what the fuck's going on. You're mom's going out of her mind trying to get in touch with you, the least you can do is pick up the phone."

"I know..."

"Well?" Brian prompted.

Michael stared at his feet for a second before answering. "You remember Hunter's girlfriend Lexi, right?"

"Sure," Brian shrugged. "What about her?"

"She's dying." Michael could feel his gut knot up at the thought.

"What?" Brian sat down in shock. "How?"

"Apparently she got Kaposi's Sarcoma. She's barely hanging on." His eyes teared up. "You have no idea how hard it's been to see her like that. I just keep thinking, is this what will happen to Ben one day? Am I going to have to sit and watch him suffer like I'm watching Lexi suffer?" The tears fell, but Michael didn't care.

"Come here." Brian wrapped his arms around Michael. "Don't think like that. You'll drive yourself fucking nuts."

"We've been at the hospital for most of the last few days. That's why I haven't talked to anyone."

"How's Ben handling this?" Brian asked. Surely Ben would be more bothered by the situation than Michael since he was positive and Michael wasn't.

"Not well. He can't even go to the hospital to see her. All he does is go the work and hide out here, alone."

"That's unlike him," Brian noted. Usually Ben was extremely kind and compassionate. It was out of character for him to cut himself off from everyone.

"He doesn't want to talk about it," Michael confessed. "I can't blame him. He's probably terrified."

"Give him time, he'll come around."

When Michael had regained his composure, he pulled away from Brian. "What did my mom want?" he asked. Hopefully she wasn't too mad at him.

"She's having some Fourth of July barbeque," Brian answered. "At my place. You guys should come, get your mind off things."

"We'll be there," Michael promised. "Well, Ben and I will be. I can't speak for Hunter. He never leaves her side. Poor guy. He's taking it pretty hard."

Brian didn't know what to say, so he just nodded. "As much as I'd love to stay and chat, Justin's waiting out in the car. I'll see you tomorrow at my place. Call me if you need anything."

"Yeah. Bye." Michael closed the door behind Brian.

"Bye," Brian muttered, staring at the door for a second.

"What's going on?" Justin asked, coming up behind him.

"Lexi is dying," Brian replied, looping his arm through Justin's.

"What!" Justin gasped, halting. Lexi had seemed like such a nice, sweet girl, and the thought of her dying caused a strange wave of sadness to grip him.

"Unfortunately," Brian confirmed. "She could go at anytime."

"We should go see her," Justin suggested. "Pay our respects."

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Brian asked. He wasn't entirely comfortable with the situation, but Justin shot him a pleading look and he couldn't refuse. Sighing, he relented. "Okay. We'll stop in and see her."

"Thank you." Justin grabbed Brian's face in his hands and kissed him softly.

When they got to the hospital, Hunter was sitting on a bench in the hallway. "Hey," Justin said, sitting down beside Hunter and rubbing his arm comfortingly. "How are you doing?"

"I'm getting by," Hunter croaked. His eyes were red and puffy, though Justin couldn't tell if it was from lack of sleep or because he'd been crying. Probably both. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to pay our respects," Brian answered.

"She's sleeping right now, but if you're quiet you won't wake her. The painkillers they have her on are pretty strong." Brian noticed that Hunter's voice was hollow and emotionless. He felt a strange sympathy for the young kid, knowing what it was like to watch the person he loved lying in a hospital bed, not knowing what was going to happen to them. He swallowed past the lump that had suddenly risen in his throat.

"We'll just be a minute," Justin promised, smiling grimly.

As soon as he laid eyes on Lexi, Brian's jaw clenched. She looked like shit; covered in purple lesions, deathly pale, her breathing laborious. "Oh my God," Justin gasped, his hand flying to his mouth. He'd never seen anything like this before. When Vic had died, it had been from a heart attack, he hadn't suffered for an extended period.

"Are you okay?" Brian asked, turning away from the horrendous sight.

"I just wasn't expecting it to be this bad I guess," Justin confessed.

"Me either." Brian shivered at the sight.

"Can we go please?" Justin begged, his eyes tearing up.

"Sure." Brian put his arm around Justin and walked him out into the hall.

* * *

"Michael!" Debbie shrieked the next day. The barbeque had just started and she was helping Brian and Justin at the grill. She rushed over to her son.

"Hey Ma," Michael said lightly. He assumed that Brian had filled her in the details, since she smiled grimly. When Debbie got close enough, Michael could see that she had an American flag scrunchie in her wig. _Where does she find this stuff?_ he wondered.

"How are you holding up, sweetie?" Deb asked, rubbing Michael's back soothingly.

"Can we just not talk about it. Please?" Michael snipped. Debbie's kind smile turned into a hurt frown.

"I'm sorry honey," she apologized. Michael couldn't stand to see him mother like this. He sighed.

"No, I'm sorry. It's not you. This whole thing has just got me really stressed out and I need a break."

"I understand. If you need anything, you call."

"I will."

"Come here." Debbie hugged Michael and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. Pulling back, she smacked him on the cheek.

"Ow! What was that for!" Michael demanded, rubbing the sore spot.

"Next time I leave you messages, you'd better call me back," Debbie said, pointing threateningly. "Or you'll get the fisting of your life. Without lube."

"I will," Michael promised.

"You little asshole!" Debbie cackled and went back to help Brian and Justin.

Michael was relieved when he spotted Melanie and JR sitting by the pool. He walked over and sat down, dipping his feet into the temperate water. "Hey JR!" he cooed, rubbing the baby's cheek. JR grabbed Michael's finger and wrapped her hand around it and giggled.

"She recognizes you," Mel pointed out. "She's happy to see her daddy, aren't you JR?"

"Daddy's happy to see you, too, honeybun." Michael took the baby out of the Melanie's arms and held her tightly in his lap. He felt terrible that he'd hardly seen her in the past few days. _I've been a bad father,_ he realized sadly. "Do you mind if I take her home with me tonight?" he asked Melanie.

Melanie shrugged. "I don't have a problem with it, but are you sure that's a good idea? You guys have a lot going on right now with Lexi and the last thing you need is a baby to take care of."

"I need her," Michael replied. "She's the only thing that can distract me, keep me going."

"I'll get her stuff ready," Mel said, rising and heading back into the house.

Excusing themselves from their partners, Ted and Emmett sat down by Michael. They had heard Michael's earlier outburst, so decided not to broach the Lexi subject. "We've missed you," Emmett said, smiling kindly. "You won't believe what happened to me the other day." He paused dramatically.

"What happened?" Michael asked, laughing. Emmett's cheery disposition was infectious.

"You don't want to know," Ted assured him, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly. He'd heard the story several times already and was sick of it.

"Excuse me. My story," Emmett reminded him. "Anyway, like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted..." Despite his angry tone, he shot Ted a smile. "I was walking down Liberty Avenue by myself and I heard this scuffling sound coming from the alley behind Babylon."

"What was it?" Michael asked, intrigued.

"It was two guys fucking in the back alley, up against the wall!"

"And how is that shocking? We've seen worse. Hell, we've done worse!" Michael pointed out.

"That's not the best part," Emmett insisted. "The guy that was bottoming turned around and it was Chris Porter." He was the upcoming mayoral candidate.

"Seriously?" Michael raised his eyebrow skeptically. The mayoral candidate whose reputation was being tarnished was fervently against gay rights.

Emmett stuck out his tongue. "I kid you not. He was taking it up the ass from some Leather Daddy."

"Did you take any pictures?" Michael joked.

"Actually," Emmett dug into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "I did." He pulled up the picture and showed it to Michael. "See?"

"Oh my God! It is him!" Michael's jaw dropped to the ground. "I can't believe it!"

"You better believe it honey, it's true. Maybe I'll sell the pictures to the local fag rags. Get that hypocritical pansy ass thrown out of the running." The idea of Emmett doing anything that malicious made Michael burst out into laughter.

"Thanks, Em. I needed a good laugh."

"Anytime baby." Emmett kissed Michael's cheek.

Michael looked over and saw Carl all alone on the patio. He made his way over, smiling. "You look lonely," he said, sitting down in a lawn chair across from Carl.

"Hey Michael." Carl smiled. "You know your mother. She's a busybody."

"Tell me about it." Michael laughed. "I hope she hasn't been driving you crazy the past couple of days because she couldn't get in touch with me."

"No more than usual." They both laughed.

When Brian had finished making the food, they all sat down to eat at the picnic table. "I'm glad you and Ben could make it," Justin said to Michael.

"It's nice to know I've been missed," Michael joked.

"Maybe once things settled down we can start working on the next issue of _Rage_," Justin suggested.

"I'd like that." Michael smiled at the thought. He had missed his friends in the past week and was glad that he had decided to come to the barbeque. _Too bad Hunter couldn't have come_, he thought. _It would've done him some good to get his mind off of everything._

Looking up, Michael noticed that Ben was smiling at him. Reaching over, he took Ben's hand in his and held it tightly. No matter what happened, they would get through it together. They were a family and nothing could come between them.

"I'm going to see Lexi tomorrow," Ben said quietly.

"You are?" Michael's brow furrowed.

"Yeah. I'd done some thinking the last couple of days and she needs someone around who understands. Someone she can relate to. I'm the closest thing."

"That's very kind of you." Michael smiled warmly.

"It was wrong of me to put my fears before someone else's pain."

"It's understandable," Michael argued, putting a comforting hand of Ben's arm. "You're afraid. With you being postive..."

"That shouldn't matter."

"I'm so proud of you." Laughing, Ben leaned across the table and pressed his lips against Michael's.

As the evening progressed and dusk settled in, Brian disappeared into the house. "Where's he going?" Debbie wondered aloud.

"He's got a surprise," Justin replied with a devilish grin.

"What kind of surprise?" Emmett asked warily. Knowing Brian, the possibilities were limitless.

"He'll kill me if I tell you. Don't worry though, you're going to like it."

"Ta-da!" Brian sang, coming out of the house with his arms full of fireworks. "Time to have so fun."

"Fireworks, thank God," Emmett said under his breath. He'd been imagining a dildo collection.

Gus excitedly ran over to Brian and eagerly grabbed at the fireworks. "You can have a sparkler," Brian said, lighting one and handing it over. Gus took it and exuberantly ran in circles.

"Who would ever think they'd live to see the day that Brian Kinney would actually be a good father?" Ted muttered conspiratorially to Emmett.

"He's come a long way," Emmett agreed. "And I'm proud of him. It's about time he thought about someone else besides himself."

"Or his dick," Michael added with a sardonic smile.

"Oh, he's still thinking with that," Emmett noted, nodding toward Brian, who was fondling Justin.

"Well, you didn't actually think he'd give that up, did you?" Ted asked, laughing.

"I didn't," Michael answered. "At least he found someone who loves it as much as he does."

"They're two of a kind." Emmett smiled dreamily and looked over to where Calvin sat drinking a beer. He caught Calvin's eye and winked. He felt bad about leaving Calvin on his own, but his friends were important to him and thankfully Calvin understood that. Excusing himself, Emmett made his way over to Calvin.

After Gus had exhausted all of the sparklers, Brian got down to business. He started with some black snakes and firecrackers. As each firework exploded, everybody clapped and cheered. "I have some roman candles," Brian said, grinning mischievously.

"Why do you get such sick enjoyment out of this?" Lindsay asked. "They're just fireworks."

"Oh come on, like you don't get damp in the panties when one explodes," Brian challenged.

"Brian!" Lindsay chastised, laughing into Melanie's shoulder.

As the night wore on, JR started to get tired. "We'd better get her home," Michael said, gathering the bags that Melanie had prepared for him.

"Already?" Brian asked. "We're still going to be out here at dawn."

"As lovely as that sounds, I have a baby to take care of."

"Fine, go on home, Mikey. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Brian leaned down and kissed Michael lightly on the lips. "See you, Professor," he said to Ben with a tight smile.

"Goodnight Brian," Ben replied with a warm smile. "Thanks for having us."

"Anytime."

When the supply of fireworks was gone, Brian lit a fire in the fire pit and everyone gathered around. "This is nice," Debbie noted, watching the flames flicker. "It reminds me of when we used to go camping in the Poconos every summer."

"We should go back sometime," Brian replied. "Sunshine would love it." He ruffled Justin's hair. "Wouldn't you, Sunshine?"

"What am I, a dog?" Justin joked. He shrugged. "Camping sounds kind of fun. You and me alone in a tent, just think of the possibilities."

"I can think of a few." Brian leaned over and started to nibble on Justin's ear.

"Cut it out you two!" Debbie shouted, throwing a marshmallow at them. "Save it for the bedroom."

Before Brian could reply, Gus yawned loudly. "Oh, poor guy, he's exhausted," Lindsay said, stroking his hand. "I'd better go put him to bed. I'll be back."

"I'll come with you!" Melanie exclaimed not so subtly. "We'll be back," she promised.

"Uh huh," Brian muttered. "We know what they're going to be doing."

"Ew!" Emmett scrunched his face up in disgust. "Can you imagine?"

"Imagine what?" Brian asked.

"What pussy must taste like."

"Probably not that much different to what an asshole tastes like," Ted said.

"I could never," Emmett admitted, shivering. "I don't even like sushi. Or tuna."

"Good one," Brian said, chuckling.

"Have any of you ever tried eating pussy?" Deb asked seriously.

All of the guys exchanged looks and shook their heads. Except for Calvin. "I did back in college," he admitted. "It wasn't so bad."

"You did not just say that!" Emmett exclaimed. "You've been kissing me with pussy breath! Gross!" He moved his chair further away from Calvin.

"What about you?" Debbie asked Brian, arching her eyebrows. She knew that Brian and Lindsay had slept together a few times in college, but she couldn't quite picture Brian eating pussy.

"Never," Brian answered unabashedly. "Just the thought of it makes me want to barf." To prove his point, he gagged.

"Pussy," Debbie teased.

"I'm so glad that my mom and Molly went away with Tucker," Justin muttered.

"We're not so bad, are we?" Debbie joked.

"I always end up embarrassed when she's around," Justin explained. "I don't feel comfortable discussing these kinds of things with her."

"Everyone's that way around their mother. Look at Michael," Deb pointed out.

The party continued well after the sun had risen. Exhausted and a little hammered, Brian and Justin stumbled into the house, laughing hysterically. They barely made it up the stairs and when they got to the bedroom, they struggled out of their clothes and passed out on the floor tangled in each other's arms.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **With Melanie and Lindsay back home, life returns to normal. Justin and Jackson discuss the exhibit in New York. Lexi's illness reaches its heart wrenching climax.


	61. Death of a Dream

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Lexi's fatal illness came to light. Despite the tragedy, the gang got together and celebrated the Fourth of July.

* * *

Chapter Sixty

The next week, with Mel and Linds back home, life returned to normal. Jackson had gotten in touch with Justin and agreed to meet him at the house that evening. "Are you nervous?" Brian asked, pouring himself a glass of Merlot.

"A little," Justin admitted, smiling. "I'm just afraid that he'll change his mind about all this and I'll be back where I started: no money and no exhibit."

"That's not going to happen," Brian assured him. "He loved your work and from what I hear, so does his boss."

"You're teasing me," Justin accused, laughing.

"I'm dead serious."

"How would you know what his boss thinks?"

"I have my ways." Brian smiled mysteriously. "You of all people should know that."

"I do. I just can't imagine how you'd get the information. It isn't like in the old days when you could just fuck someone to get information out of them."

"Technically, I could," Brian pointed out. "But I wouldn't. Those days are far behind me."

"And I appreciate that very much," Justin said, leaning over so that he and Brian were face-to-face. "Nobody could ever fuck me like you."

"What time is Jackson supposed to be here?" Brian asked, licking his lips in anticipation. He could feel a stiffening in his groin.

"Any minute now," Justin answered with a disappointed sigh. "But I'm yours until he gets here."

"Lucky me. So what did you have in mind?" Fortunately, Gus was upstairs taking his early evening nap.

"The usual." Justin's hand snaked its way into the front of Brian's pants, stroking the huge bulge. Brian closed his eyes and moaned quietly. _How did I get so lucky?_ he wondered.

Justin pulled his hand out and grinned devilishly. "You can't cum yet," he said. "I have more in store for you than a hand job."

"Like what?" Brian asked. He had a pretty good idea of what Justin was referring to.

"Something a little more oral," Justin answered. He started to lean down.

Before they could continue, the doorbell rang. "Goddamn it," Brian muttered, zipping his pants back up. "He's got fucking impeccable timing!" He followed Justin into the foyer and decided to go upstairs to check on Gus.

"Sorry." Justin smiled apologetically. "We'll continue this later." He hurried to the door and opened it slowly, trying to appear calm and casual. "Hey," he said kindly as he spotted Jackson.

"Hello. Lovely to see you again." Jackson held out his hand and Justin shook it. "Are you ready to conduct business?"

"I am if you are," Justin replied. He could feel his stomach twisting into knots but he ignored it. Everyone else had faith in him, maybe it was time he had some faith in himself. "Can I get you something to drink?" he asked as they made their way into the den.

"No, thank you. I can't stay. Unfortunately, I have to fly back to New York tonight. Crisis at gallery."

"Is everything okay?" Justin asked, more to be polite than from concern.

"Yes, just a small problem." Justin took that to mean that the subject was closed. "So, I have your check here." Jackson reached into his suit pocket and pulled out the check, handing it to Justin. "I think that you will find our offer rather...enticing?"

Justin looked at the check and his heart stopped beating. Not only had _Gaiety_ sold for two million dollars, Jackson had also bought several other paintings for a thousand dollars apiece. "How can I say no?" he gasped, struggling to breath.

"Excellent. You're happy, then. I'll come back soon for the paintings and when we get everything finalized at the museum for the exhibit, I'll call you."

"Thanks," Justin said, barely listening. He couldn't believe how his luck had turned around. _Now I can definitely afford to buy Brian something fabulous_, he thought with a self-satisfied smile.

"If that's all, I really must be going," Jackson announced, rising from the couch and walking out into the foyer.

"Thanks for stopping by," Justin said, closing the door behind Jackson.

Brian came down the stairs. "So, how did it go?" he asked, chewing his lip.

"See for yourself," Justin answered, holding the check out for Brian to grab.

"Holy shit!" Brian exclaimed when he saw the monetary value. "You're fucking rich!"

"Isn't it great!" Justin gushed, laughing hysterically. He threw his arms around Brian and kissed him excitedly.

"It is," Brian agreed, kissing Justin. "I'm so proud of you, Sunshine."

"Thank you." Justin beamed. "You know what? That camping trip is a sure thing now. I can afford it. When do we leave?"

Brian held up a hand. "Wait a second. Are you sure that's wise?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

"What do you mean? You saw how many zeroes are on that check. I can more than afford to pay for a weekend in the Poconos."

"I know, but in the long run, is it wise? You just got all this money, why blow it all at once when you could save it. Use it to buy yourself something nice."

"I want to do something nice for you," Justin said, sighing. "You've always taken such good care of me, I want to do something to repay you."

"You do that every night," Brian teased. "And every day."

"I don't mean like that. I want to take you somewhere for once, you know? Switch things up a little bit."

"Fine. It's your money, do what you want with it. As long as you're happy, I won't argue with you."

Justin sighed. "You keep saying that," he pointed out. He'd heard Brian say 'As long as you're happy,' so many times that it was embedded in brain.

"What?" Brian asked, handing the check back to Justin.

"You keep saying 'As long as you're happy,' and it's really starting to bug me."

"Okay. I won't say it again," Brian replied, holding his hands up in surrender.

"It's not that you say it," Justin admitted. "It's that you worry too much about me being happy."

"That's my job." Brian shot Justin the famous Brian Kinney smile.

"What about you? What ever happened to making you happy?" Justin didn't want to nag, but he also didn't want Brian to be unhappy.

"You make me happy," Brian answered simply. "Being here with you and Gus, that makes me happy."

"And there's nothing else you want? A new suit? Shoes? A trip to Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney?"

"Don't even tease me about that," Brian said. "We're going to go next year, but we have to wait for February."

"How about I buy us a nice, big tent and we take Gus out camping the meadow? He's been begging to go camping all summer."

"Only if you agree to let me fuck your brains out while we're there," Brian bartered.

Justin laughed. "Deal. Does this mean that we're going to have to get two tents?"

"No, just one. We'll just have to take it outside." Brian grinned devilishly.

"That could be fun. We've never fucked in the woods before."

"Well that's one more thing we can cross off our 'to do' list," Brian continued.

"Mel and Linds are going to hate us if we traumatize Gus," Justin pointed out.

"He can't hear me. And even if he did, he knows better than to repeat anything I say."

"That's good. The last thing he needs to learn is how to talk like his daddy."

"Listen to you Mr. No-One-Can-Fuck-Me-Like-You-Can."

"I learned it from you."

"Yeah, right." Brian punched Justin's arm playfully. "I remember how you were the first night we met, you were already using vulgar language then."

"Okay, you got me. Are you happy?"

"Not yet."

Justin decided to change the subject. "Have you heard anything new about Lexi?" he asked, knowing full well that there was nothing that could be done for the poor girl.

"No," Brian replied. "Nothing good, anyway." He clenched his jaw.

"What do you mean?" Justin felt dread settling in his gut. Surely she wasn't dead. Not yet.

"The last time I talked to Michael, he said that she was barely hanging on. They don't expect her to make it past this week."

"That's horrible!"

"I'm just thankful that it isn't you or Gus." Brian met Justin's gaze and smiled grimly.

"You know, I feel bad that here you and I are having the time of our lives while that poor girl is laying their suffering."

"You shouldn't feel bad. People die everyday, we can't stop living our lives."

"How can you be so cavalier about this! We know her, Brian. She isn't just some stranger." Justin could feel his cheeks burning with anger.

Brian chewed his lip. "Justin, we met her one time. It isn't like she's one of our friends that we see all the time," he pointed out. "Why are you taking this so personally?"

"She reminds me of Daphne," Justin admitted. "And the thought of anything bad happening to Daphne kills me."

"I understand." Brian reached out and put a comforting hand on Justin's shoulder.

"You're right though," Justin said sadly. "We don't know her all that well. I shouldn't be taking this so personally."

"There's nothing wrong with being compassionate," Brian pointed out. "If there's one thing about you that I love, its your compassion."

Justin smiled tightly. "Sometimes I think it would be easier to be like you used to be: detached and hard." Normally Brian would've turned it into a sexual innuendo, but he bit his tongue. "That way you can't get hurt."

"And sometimes I think it would be easier to be like you: kind and caring," Brian shot back. "Being detached and hard isn't all its cracked up to be. It gets lonely."

"When were you ever lonely?" Justin challenged. "You had your friends and your numerous tricks every night."

"I did," Brian agreed. "But it wasn't until you showed up that I realized just how lonely I was. I never thought I'd mind being on my own, having only myself to contend with, answering to no one. But once you came into the picture, I couldn't do it anymore. Sure, I fought it as hard as I could, but no matter how hard I tried, you were always there."

"Wow, you're uncharacteristically sentimental," Justin noted. "Are you feeling okay?" He put his hand on Brian's forehead jokingly.

"I'm serious," Brian said, pulling Justin's hand away.

"What is this about?" Justin asked. "You've told me you love me so many times and in so many different ways. Why the sudden sentimentality?"

"I don't know," Brian admitted, knitting his brow. "I just want you to know how much you mean to me, that's all."

"You show me every day," Justin replied, reaching out and stroking Brian's cheek. "But I don't mind if you tell me you love me every day for the rest of our lives. I never get sick of hearing it."

Brian smiled. "I love you, Justin." As the words passed his lips, he could feel the familiar tingling sensation in his chest, the feeling he had come to enjoy. "And I always will."

"I love you, too," Justin said. "Now, how about we finish what we started before Jackson interrupted us?"

"I'd like that. All this sentimental love talk has got me hornier than I was while you stroking my dick."

"You're such a charmer," Justin said, laughing.

"It's one of my strong points," Brian agreed. "How else you think I've become such a successful advertising executive? It isn't just because my ad campaigns are the best in town." Brian pulled Justin into his arms and started gnawing at his neck.

"You're such a beast!" Justin joked as Brian slammed the bedroom door shut behind them.

* * *

Hunter closed the front door quietly behind him. He'd been at the hospital with Lexi all night and was exhausted. Robert and Antonique had come in some time around five and told him to go home to get some sleep. They promised to call if anything changed.

Lexi had been getting progressively worse. She was barely conscious anymore and when she was, she was incoherent. As much as it pained Hunter to know that Lexi was on her way out, he took solace in the fact that she wouldn't have to suffer for much longer. It killed him to see her in such a weakened, miserable state. If only there were a way to make her better.

Michael and Ben were still asleep. Ben had been with Hunter at the hospital until after midnight. Michael would have been there, too, but he was catching up on sleep. Careful not to wake them up, Hunter made his way up the stairs and into the bathroom. As tired as he was, Hunter wanted to wash up before going to bed.

The hot water felt good, soothing. When he was younger, Hunter had always pretended that while the water from the shower washed away the grime, it took with it all of his problems, leaving him feeling clean and content. Unfortunately, he knew better now. Nothing could take his problems away. He had no choice but to deal with them like a mature, responsible adult.

Drying himself off, Hunter didn't bother getting back into his clothes. He'd worn them the past two days. Fastening the tie of his bathrobe tightly, Hunter tiptoed down the hallway to his bedroom. Carefully shutting the door, he lay down on his bed, pulling the blankets up to his chin. Within seconds, he was asleep.

Since Lexi had gotten sick, Hunter had been dreaming a lot. He often dreamed of going to see her at the hospital only to learn that she'd died during the night when no one was with her. He usually awoke in a cold sweat and couldn't get back to sleep. But this night was different. In the dream, Lexi was healthy again, like she'd been when they first met.

_Hand in hand, they strolled through a park with the sun shining down on them. There were birds singing in the background and they were happy. They came to a little duck pond and Hunter got down on one knee. He pulled a ring out of his pocket and offered it to Lexi. "Marry me?" he asked, smiling up at her hopefully._

"_Yes! Yes, I will marry you!" Lexi exclaimed as Hunter slipped the ring onto her finger. Standing back up, Hunter leaned over and they kissed passionately. _

_The dream shifted to their wedding day. From his spot at the altar, Hunter could see his family in the pews. Debbie was sobbing uncontrollably into Carl's chest, while Michael and Ben watched on, smiling proudly. As the wedding march began to play, Robert walked Lexi down the aisle. Ahead of them, an older JR tossed flowers out of a tiny basket in her hands._

_Robert stopped at the foot of the altar and gave Lexi a quick hug. Flashing Hunter a smile, he went and sat next to Antonique in the first row. "Shall we begin?" the minister asked as Hunter took Lexi's hands in his._

"_Yes, please," Hunter answered, laughing._

"_Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to day to celebrate the union of this man," the minister waved a hand at Hunter, "James Novotny-Bruckner, and this woman," he waved at Lexi, "Lexi Harold." The dream skipped forward to the end of the Minister's speech. "Do you, James, take Lexi to be your lawful wedded wife?"_

"_I do," Hunter answered quickly. He smiled at Lexi._

"_And do you, Lexi , take James Novotny-Bruckner to be your lawful wedded husband?"_

"_I do." Lexi replied, laughing._

"_Then by the power vested in me by the state of Pennsylvania, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Hunter leaned over and pressed his lips against Lexi's. Their family clapped and cheered._

_In a flash, it was sometime later._ _Both Hunter and Lexi were a few years older by then._ _They were in a hospital, and Lexi was screaming. "Push!" the doctor urged, looking up at Lexi's face. "Come on Mrs. Novotny-Bruckner, just one more push."_

"_I can't!" Lexi cried, throwing her head back so that it rested on the pillow. She was drenched with sweat and her cheeks were beet red. "I'm scared!"_

"_Come on honey," Hunter encouraged, mopping her brow. "You can do this."_

_With one more huge push, the baby was born. "It's a girl!" the nurse announced happily, swaddling the baby in a blanket and handing her to Lexi. "Did you decide on a name yet?" the nurse asked, pulling out a pen._

"_Ashlee," Lexi answered, smiling down at the baby in her arms. "Ashlee Violet."_

"_Ashlee Violet Novotny-Brucnker, that's a hell of a name," Debbie said, appearing out of nowhere. _

_Confused, Hunter turned to look at her. Michael and Ben were standing next to her. He was pretty sure that they hadn't been there before. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked._

"_You have to get up," Michael said, smiling. _

"_What?" _

"_You have to get up."_

Hunter opened his eyes. Michael was standing over him, gently shaking his arm. "Sorry to wake you, but you have to get up," he said seriously. The light that usually shone from Michael's eyes was missing.

"What's wrong!" Hunter sat bolt upright and got out of the bed. His heart started to race as he assumed the worst. Something must be wrong with Lexi.

"They need you at the hospital," Michael answered, guiltily avoiding Hunter's gaze. "Now."

"Just give me a sec," Hunter said, quickly throwing on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. "Let's go!"

The whole drive to the hospital, Hunter chewed his fingernails nervously. _This must be it,_ he thought sadly. _She must be on her way out."_ Tears stung his eyes but he blinked them away. He was too angry to cry.

Running down the hallway, Hunter burst into Lexi's room. When he saw her, his worst fears were confirmed. Lexi's breathing was slow and uneven. His eyes tearing up again, Hunter knelt down by the side of her bed. "Say goodbye to her," Antonique said from beside him. "She's going."

"I love you," Hunter whispered, kissing Lexi's cold hand. "I promise I won't forget you. Whenever I'm sad or lonely, I'm going to think of you and all the good times we had together."

"Not long now," the doctor announced as the heart rate monitor started to beep.

"I'll see you again," Hunter said, as the tears fell.

The monitor continued to flat line but Hunter couldn't hear it. He couldn't hear anything expect for his heart beating in his chest. He was unaware of the tears distorting his vision and of Michael's comforting hand of his shoulder. Lexi was dead. Nothing else mattered.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Michael, Ben, and Hunter attend Lexi's funeral.


	62. Grief

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Lexi's illness reached its crescendo, culminating in her death.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-One

The funeral was held a few days later. Michael, Ben, and Debbie accompanied Hunter, wanting to pay their respects. Since Lexi died, Hunter had barely spoken two words. He had just sat in his room, staring at the ceiling. "I'm really starting to worry about him," Michael said quietly to Debbie. "He hasn't said one word to Ben or I since she died."

"Give him time, honey. He just lost someone he loved. Death is always hard, but especially when you were in love with the person," Deb replied.

"I just feel so useless," Michael continued. "Like I'm letting him down or something."

"Michael, listen to me. All you can do right now is be there for him. As much as you want to, you can't take his pain away, he just has to learn to work through it."

"Like you did when Uncle Vic died?" Michael asked.

"Yeah, honey. Let's hope that Hunter doesn't decide to spin out like I did. Poor Emmett thought I was out of my fucking mind." She laughed at the memory.

Everyone took their seats and the priest began. Hunter tuned the priest out, not caring what he had to say. All he could think about was that if it weren't for the jackass who had infected Lexi, she'd still be alive and they'd be happy. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see what Lexi lying dead in the hospital bed, covered in sores and deathly white.

He hadn't cried since leaving the hospital for the last time. Instead, he bottled up his pain and instead focused on continuing life, one day at a time. The dream that he'd had that day kept coming back to haunt him. _Was that the universe's idea of a sick joke?_ he wondered. It seemed more than a coincidence that on the day Lexi had died, Hunter had had a dream about the life they could've had together if they both hadn't been HIV positive.

The priest continued to speak and Hunter glanced over at Antonique and Robert. Antonique was sobbing uncontrollably into Robert's chest; Robert's jaw was clenched, but Hunter couldn't tell if it was from anger or to stop himself from crying.

Maybe a little of both. _I thought it was devastating for me to lose Lexi, _Hunter thought sadly. _But it must be even harder on her parents. They probably blame themselves for her getting HIV, thinking that if they had done something differently, their daughter would be alive and healthy._

After the priest finished his speech, Antonique and Robert rose and slowly walked up to the casket. Antonique lifted the rose that she held in her hands up to her lips and kissed it gently before setting it on top of the casket. Robert hesitated before setting his down and when he turned to sit back down, Hunter could see that he was crying.

Tentatively Hunter made his way up and lay his rose down. On the way back to his seat, Hunter saw Callie standing in the back. She had called him a couple of times in the past few days, but he hadn't returned her calls or listened to her messages.

The service ended and Hunter made his way to Callie. "Hey," she said, her lips tightening in an apologetic smile. "How are you holding up?"

"I've been better," Hunter admitted. They were the first words he'd spoken since Lexi died. He noticed that his voice sounded empty.

"I'm really sorry," Callie continued. "I can't imagine what you must be feeling right now."

"She was your friend, too," Hunter pointed out. "I'm sure you can relate."

"Yeah, but you two were in love, your pain is like, ten times worse than mine."

"I guess." Hunter shrugged. "I miss her so much," he admitted, looking back at the casket.

"It's okay," Callie assured him. "You can't keep your emotions bottled up. You have to let them out."

"What makes you think I'm bottling my emotions up?" Hunter asked.

"We used to date, remember? I know you pretty well and you're not acting like yourself."

"You're right," Hunter relented. "I just don't know how to react, you know? Part of me feels like crying, but then there's another part that just wants to freeze up inside."

They walked out of the church and sat down under a tree. "What does your heart tell you?" Callie asked, rubbing Hunter's hand comfortingly.

"To be honest, I don't really know. I hurt so much that..." The tears that he had held at bay for the last few days suddenly sprang up.

"Come here," Callie whispered, embracing him. "It's okay." She stroked Hunter's hair and gently rocked him back and forth.

"I'm sorry," Hunter said when he regained his composure. "I feel like such an idiot."

"Don't. I'm glad that you're working through you pain. I'd hate to see it destroy you."

"This is all new to me," Hunter continued. "The last funeral I was at was for Vic, Michael's uncle. I didn't know him all that well so it was hard for me to react to his death. But to be hit so close..." His voice trailed off.

Before Callie could comfort him, Antonique and Robert came out of the church. Hunter got to his feet and hugged Antonique. "I'm sorry," he said, unsure of what else he could say.

"Me, too," she replied. "But as long as we keep her in our hearts, she'll never really be gone." Despite her brave words, tears streaked down Antonique's cheeks.

"I'm sorry, too," Callie added, joining Hunter next to Antonique and Robert.

"Thanks, Callie." Antonique smiled warmly at Callie and Hunter. "Listen, would the two of you mind stopping by the house in a little bit?"

"Of course not." Hunter figured that Antonique wanted them there for company.

"There are some things of Lexi's that I think she would want you to have."

"We'll be there," Callie promised.

Michael, Ben, and Debbie emerged from the church. "There you are," Michael said, rushing over. "You disappeared. I was starting to worry."

"Sorry, I just needed to get out and clear my head," Hunter explained.

"We understand," Ben assured him.

"How are you guys doing?" Michael asked Antonique and Robert.

"We're doing okay," Antonique answered. "It's hard, but I know we'll carry on."

"Well, if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to give us a call."

"Thanks, Michael," Robert said, smiling kindly.

"I hope we can still be friends," Antonique added. "I've gotten used to coming over for dinner every week." Her lips twitched into a shadow of a smile.

"Of course!" Michael insisted. "In fact, why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow night? My mom makes terrific stuffed shells."

"Tomorrow's family night," Debbie reminded them. "We'd be honored if you came."

"Sounds lovely. We'd love to." Antonique gripped Michael's hand for a second. "You and Ben are the only family we have now that Lexi's gone."

"Don't you worry honey, once you're a part of this family, you're stuck with us for life," Debbie joked. It had the desired affect.

Antonique laughed. "I couldn't think of a better family to be part of," she said, hugging Debbie. "Is it okay if Hunter comes by to pick up some stuff later?" This question was directed at Ben and Michael.

"Sure, if you don't mind," Ben answered.

"Please, the more people we have in the house, the longer we have until the loneliness sets in," Antonique replied.

"He's all yours then," Michael interjected.

"We have to stay here and take care of some things, but give us about an hour and come on over," Antonique said to Hunter and Callie.

"I'll see you then," Hunter promised.

Callie and Hunter left Michael, Ben, and Debbie to talk to Robert and Antonique. "What are you going to do about college?" Callie asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you still going to go to Allegheny Community...without Lexi?"

"Oh." Hunter hadn't thought about it. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I know what I want to do now."

"That's great! What did you decide on?"

"I'm going to be a doctor. I want to find to find the cure for AIDS so that no one has to suffer like Lexi and her family."

"That's very noble of you," Callie complimented. "I have faith in you." She kissed Hunter's cheek softly. "I have to get going home, but I'll see you later at Lexi's?" she asked.

"Sure, see you then." Hunter watched Callie walk to her car. Now that Lexi was gone, Callie was his only friend left in the world and knowing that she would be leaving for New Hampshire in a few weeks didn't make him feel any better.

A few days later Michael and Ben were sitting down on the couch cuddling. Neither one spoke out of lack of anything to say. Michael rested his head on Ben's lap and stared off into space. Eventually, he drifted off into a light doze, exhausted from the lack of sleep he'd gotten lately. Ben lightly stroked his hair, soothing him, until he too fell asleep.

They were both jolted awake by the ringing phone. Heart pounding from the sudden scare, Michael sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "I'll get it," he mumbled incoherently, stumbling over to the phone. It was probably Hunter calling to say that he'd had enough of Debbie's 'therapy' and wanted to come home. "Hello?" he said, closing his eyes against the harsh brightness that was streaming in through the windows.

"Hi, this is Emmett Honeycutt, I'm trying to get in contact with an old friend of mine. His name is Michael Novotny. He wouldn't happen to be around there somewhere, would he?"

Michael couldn't help but smile. "Very funny Emmett," he said, laughing a little.

"I try my best. So what are you up to sweetie?" Emmett asked.

"Not much. Ben and I are just sitting here alone."

"I hope I didn't interrupt anything," Emmett continued with a naughty laugh.

"Nothing like that," Michael assured him. "So, how are you doing?" They hadn't talked in a few days and Michael really missed his friends.

"You know me: fabulous as ever. I was just calling to make sure you're doing all right."

"That's very sweet you of you, Em. I'm doing fine. Hey, what do you say we meet up at Woody's in a few hours for some drinks? And then we can go to Babylon for a little fun?"

"Hmmm..." Emmett pretended the mull the idea over. "I think I can arrange that. How's eight?"

"Great! I'll call Ted and see if he wants to meet us, too."

"No, I'll call Teddy. You just hang in there and get ready to dance your ass off tonight okay?"

"Okay. I'll see you at eight."

"Eight it is darling. Ta-ta."

"Bye." Michael laughed as he hung up.

Ben came into the kitchen. "Who was that?" he asked, smiling at Michael's jovial mood.

"That was Emmett. We're meeting at Woody's at eight and then going to Babylon. Do you want to come, too? They say alcohol is great for easing pain,' Michael joked.

"As nice as that sounds right now, I've got work to do. You go and have good time. Make all those hot, young studs soak their pants over you."

"Yeah right!" Michael snorted. "At my age that's even more unlikely then it was when I was in my twenties."

"Not from where I'm standing," Ben replied. "You look so hot in those jeans I can barely keep my eyes off of you."

Michael suddenly felt himself getting an erection. He and Ben hadn't had sex in a few weeks due to all of the stress from the Lexi situation, but now he was bursting with pent up sexual energy. He caught Ben's eye and smiled. "I have a grief-induced boner," he said, laughing.

"What?" Ben asked, incredulous. Michael nodded downward. Ben's eyes followed and spotted the bulge in Michael's jeans. He laughed and chewed his lip.

"How about it?" Michael asked, strutting over to Ben and slinking his arms around him seductively.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ben shot back, pulling away slightly.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Michael challenged.

"I just thought that with Lexi and everything..." Ben's voice trailed off.

"Just because she died doesn't mean that our lives have to end," Michael said delicately. "In the words of a very wise woman, 'Life is for the alive my dear.' But if you don't want to..." Michael pulled his arms back to his side.

Ben grabbed Michael's hand. "No," he said definitively. "I want to. It's about time I let go. I've been having such a hard time because there's a possibility that what happened to Lexi could happen to me. She's the first person who had AIDS that I actually saw die."

"You don't have to worry?" Michael assured him rubbing Ben's shoulder comfortingly.

"You don't know that." Ben sighed.

"You are going to fine, okay?" Michael gripped Ben's face in his hands. "I am not going to let anything happen to you. You're going to be around for a long, long time."

"Thanks." Ben met Michael's gaze and smiled. "Now, how about I take you up on that offer?"

"I'd like that," Michael replied, turning on his heel and heading up the stairs to their room.

Ben hesitated a moment before following Michael.

* * *

Sex was exactly what Michael had needed to get him out of his funk. After having so many orgasms that he'd lost count, Michael lay next to Ben, breathing heavily. He felt better than he had in what felt like forever. Looking over at Ben, Michael could see that he was just as euphoric as he was. He glanced at the clock and sighed. It was going on seven thirty, which meant that if he wanted to be on time for his meeting with Emmett and Ted at Woody's, he would have to get going.

He rolled out of bed and fumbled around looking for his clothes. "Time to go already?" Ben asked, handing him his underwear.

"Thanks," Michael muttered, digging under the bed for his shirt. "Yeah. I told them I'd be there at eight. Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"

"I'm fine. You wore me out."

"Wow, that's a first," Michael joked, planting a soft kiss on Ben's cheek. "I'll be back some time tonight."

"I'll be waiting," Ben promised.

Michael rushed out the door and hurried down the street. Luckily, Liberty Avenue wasn't too far from the house. He got to Woody's a few minutes early and waited across the street. When he saw Emmett and Ted stroll over from the Diner, Michael grinned and crossed the street. He surprised both of his friends. "Hey baby!" Emmett exclaimed, draping an arm over Michael's shoulder.

"You guys didn't bring Blake and Calvin?" Michael asked.

"It's girl's night," Emmett enthused. "No boys allowed. Neither Michael nor Ted reminded Emmett that they were boys.

They went in and sat down at the bar. "I'm buying," Michael declared, ordering three beers.

"What got into you?" Emmett asked, sipping his drink.

"What do you mean?" Michael replied, knitting his brows.

"On the phone you sounded depressed but now...I don't know, you have this glow. Don't you think, Teddy?"

"Definitely," Ted agreed. "You look like you just had amazing sex."

Michael smiled and blushed guiltily. "Oh my God!" Emmett exclaimed, slapping his hand down on the bar. "You and Ben just fucked didn't you?"

"Yes," Michael admitted, laughing. "I'm not sure how many times, but it was amazing!" Just thinking about it was giving him a hard on.

"Good for you. I've always felt that the best solution to depression is a good fuck."

"You sound like Brian," Ted interjected. "Well, the old Brian."

"He hasn't changed that much," Michael argued. "Just in little ways."

"Whatever you say," Ted mumbled.

After a few drinks, the guys left and walked down the street to Babylon. "Does it look different to you or is it just me?" Emmett asked, stopping.

"It's just you," Ted assured him. "I haven't changed anything."

"Have you been spending time here lately?" Michael inquired.

"Yeah. I had to fire my manager. Now that I'm back, I remember why I bought it from Brian in the first place."

"I'm glad," Emmett said. "I'd get sick of having to pay to get in all the time."

"Thanks Em, you always know how to make me feel appreciated," Ted replied sarcastically.

"I try." Emmett grinned at Ted.

Once inside, they were enveloped by the seductive thumpa thumpa. "Oh God," Emmett moaned, closing his eyes. "It's like a drug. I feel so much better now."

"What was wrong with you before?" Michael asked.

"My ass hurt," Emmett answered simply. Ted and Michael exchanged curious looks. "Come on, let's dance." Emmett took a hold of both of their hands and sashayed onto the dance floor. "Check him out," Emmett growled, eying up a well muscled guy a few feet away.

"He's nice," Ted agreed, wiping drool off of his chin.

"What's wrong with you two? You're married, remember?" _Am I the only one that feels like he's cheating just by looking at another guy?_

"Quit being such a prude," Emmett ordered. "I thought great sex was supposed to lighten you up."

"I am lightened up," Michael argued. "I just don't feel comfortable checking other guys out is all."

Emmett balked. "Sweetie, I'm going to give you some information that you will find very valuable. Are you ready? It's okay to look at other men. It doesn't mean that you're going to cheat on Ben just because you notice someone else."

"As far as I'm concerned, if you're happily married, you shouldn't be noticing anyone else."

"How did you get to be such a stick in the mud?" Emmett asked. "With Brian as your best friend, I'd think that you would be like a miniature version of him."

"Is that a crack about my height?" Michael teased.

"You know what I mean," Emmett continued. "Just look around, have fun."

"I am having fun," Michael assured him.

"Then stop arguing with me and shake your little bubble butt."

"Like this?" Michael asked, shaking his behind.

"Exactly like that," Emmett replied. They started to dance and Michael forgot about his pain.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian, Justin, and Gus go camping.


	63. Camping

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Justin got rave reviews for his latest painting and sold it for $2,000,000. In addition, he got offered an exhibit in New York.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Two

Summer was coming to a close––much to Brian's chagrin. Gus would be leaving the following week and wouldn't back most likely until Christmas. _It feels like it's only been a week since he got here_, Brian thought sadly. He had grown even more attached to Gus that he'd thought possible. Thankfully he had Justin with him, otherwise, he wouldn't know what to do once his son was gone. The big house would be awfully lonely with just the two of them.

Justin had decided to postpone their camping expedition until the end of summer so that there would be one last present for Gus before he went home. In the meantime, he'd begun working on another painting and had continued his internship at Kinnetik. Once the summer was over and his internship requirements were met, he would take up the part-time position that Brian had offered him back in June.

Brian had continued to balance work and spending quality time with Gus. He'd taught Gus how to play tennis and they often enjoyed quick games in the evening after supper. When Justin had decided on a date for their trip, Brian had tried once again to talk him out of it. "You really don't have to do this," he'd said, hoping that Justin could be swayed.

"There's no sense trying to change my mind," Justin had replied. "My mind is made up so just go with it."

And so, they were preparing for their weekend camping trip in the meadow. "You got Gus a sleeping bag, right?" Justin asked, shoving a shirt into his bag, which was overloaded and nearly bursting at the seams. Lindsay and Melanie had not sent Gus with a sleeping bag since they assumed that he would be sleeping in the house, not outside in a tent.

"Yep. We're all set," Brian replied. He had not bothered packing. If he needed something, he could always run back and get it.

"You're not going to bring anything?" Justin asked incredulously.

"I'll bring some underwear, but we're only going out to the meadow," Brian explained. "It isn't like we're going to another country."

"You say that now, but who knows if you're going to feel like walking all the way back here."

"Cause it's such a long walk," Brian said sarcastically.

"Smart ass." Justin threw a pair of socks at Brian. They bounced off of his stomach and rolled back onto the floor. "I mean, you could get tired..."

"Well if that does happen, I'll send you." Brian smirked.

"If I'm up to it," Justin teased, zipping up his duffel bag. "I'm going to go check in on Gus and make sure everything's okay in there."

"I'll be waiting," Brian promised.

Justin walked down the hall and peeked in through Gus's open door. He was sitting on the floor surrounded by a pile of clothes. "Need some help?" Justin asked, stepping into the room.

"Yes," Gus answered, standing up. When Justin sat down, Gus plopped down on his lap. "I don't know how to fold."

"That's okay. I'll do it for you. Just show me what you want to take with you." Gus pointed out everything he wanted to take and Justin folded everything up from him, placing the clothes into the suitcase. "There you go," he said when he was done.

"Thanks Justin."

"You're welcome. So, are you excited to go camping with Daddy and me?"

"Uh huh, I want to sleep outside with the animals."

"You do? Well, to be safe, we're going to sleep in a tent."

"No!" Gus laughed. "I want to see the bears and wolves."

"I see. Well, I don't know if you're going to see any of those precisely, but if you don't maybe we can take you to the Pittsburgh Zoo when we get back. The last time I was there they have bears."

Brian crept into the room. "What are you boys up to?" he asked, sitting down on the edge of Gus's bed.

"Daddy!" Gus cried, jumping up out of Justin's lap and tackling Brian. Justin couldn't help but notice the sadness that shone from Brian's eyes. _I wish there was something I could do_, he thought dejectedly.

"I thought you were going to wait in the bedroom," Justin said, joining Brian and Gus on the bed.

"I got bored," Brian answered simply. "I figured I'd come see what you two were doing."

"Well, we got Gus all packed for tomorrow," Justin informed him. "We'll be ready to go when we get up."

"What time do you want to head out?" Brian asked warily. He was looking forward to catching up on some much needed sleep and hoped that Justin didn't want to get up and go first thing in the morning.

"Twelve thirty," Justin replied with a grin. "There's no way I'm getting up at the crack of dawn again so we go somewhere."

"Have I told you today how much I love you?" Brian joked, draping his spare arm around Justin's shoulder.

"I believe you have but you can say it again if you'd like. I think I might be suffering from short-term memory loss."

"I love you," Brian murmured as their lips met.

"Guys!" Gus chastised them, moving so that he wouldn't get crushed as their bodies started to move together.

Brian pulled back and turned to look at Gus. "What?" he asked innocently. "Adults kiss all the time, Gus. You've seen your mommies do it plenty of times."

"No one ever kisses me," Gus replied, pouting out his lower lip.

"Well I guess we'll have to fix that, won't we, Justin?" Brian asked, winking.

"Yes, Brian, I believe we will," Justin played along.

Moving so that Gus was in between them, Brian and Justin leaned in, each kissing one side of his face. Gus laughed hysterically, trying to push them away.

"You said no ever kissed you," Brian reminded him. "You can't say that anymore."

"Stop!" Gus cried excitedly. Brian and Justin complied. Settling back down, Gus yawned.

"I'm going to stay and put him to bed," Brian told Justin. "Why don't you go relax or something till I'm done."

"I think I'll go for a swim. Join me when you're done." Brian understood the underlying message: _when you're done, let's fuck in the pool._ He grinned. Outside, they could be as loud as they wanted to.

"I will," he promised.

"Good night Gus." Justin leaned down and kissed Gus's forehead. He started to pull away but Brian caught his shirt.

"Where's my kiss?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Sorry. Let me get right on that." Justin pressed his lips against Brian's quickly. "There, now let the poor kid go to bed. He's exhausted and tomorrow's going to be a big day for him. He needs his sleep."

"Yes dear," Brian joked, rolling his eyes dramatically.

It only took Gus a few minutes to fall asleep, but Brian didn't leave right away. Instead, he laid in bed, looking down at Gus's sleeping face. He was looking even more like Brian as he got older. _You're going to love being an adult,_ he thought wryly. Gus definitely wouldn't have any problems getting girls...or boys, whichever he liked. _I just wish I could be there to see you grow up. Not seeing you every day is tough for me._ Brian gently stroked Gus's hair, careful not to wake him up. "I love you son," he whispered, before kissing Gus on the forehead. Pausing at the door, Brian cast one last look back at his son. _I wish we could stay like this forever_, he thought, sighing. _Unfortunately, you have to go back home. _

Turning out the light, Brian shut the door behind him and went downstairs. Through the French doors in the kitchen, he could see Justin in the pool. Justin looked up and saw him, a smile illuminating his face. Brian went through the doors and stopped at the edge of the pool. "No swimming trunks?" Justin asked, looking up.

"No, I thought of something a little more exciting," Brian answered, letting his jeans fall to the ground. He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it onto the picnic table. Justin grinned up at him. Brian dove into the water and a few seconds later popped up next to Justin. "Well?" he prompted. "Aren't you going to join in?"

Justin laughed and pulled off his swimming trunks. He wadded them up and threw them up onto the patio. "I'm ready when you are," he said, his voice husky with lust. In response, Brian gently pushed Justin up against the side of the ladder. Lifting Justin's legs up onto his shoulders, he slipped in. He felt the sudden pleasure and closed his eyes peacefully. Moaning, Justin reached back and held the sides of the ladder in a white-knuckled grip. A small cry of ecstasy escaped his lips.

Brian had never had sex in a pool, which was strange considering he had done it practically everywhere else. It was a new experience that he was definitely enjoying. Normally, he'd be sweaty and out of breath, but the water helped keep him cool. He quickened his pace until the pleasure reached its crescendo. With a loud groan, he gave one final thrust and relaxed into Justin's arms.

Justin held Brian against his chest and closed his eyes, letting the calmness that always followed sex to overtake him.

* * *

The next day, they got up and showered. Sleeping out in a tent would not be much fun if they all smelled. "Did you know that I have not been camping since I was nine?" Justin asked, following Brian and Gus out the door.

"Wow, that's a really long time," Brian retorted. He smiled and slung an arm over Justin's shoulder. "So, what do you have planned for us today?"

"Actually, not much," Justin replied. "We'll put the tent up and later on, we can make dinner over a fire and sing songs."

"That sounds _really _exciting,"

"I promise I'll make it worth your while," Justin promised. "Later tonight, after Gus is asleep, I'll get naked and dance around the fire for you. How does that sound?"

"This trip is starting to look better and better." Brian grinned.

"Do you think we should bring the horses? Justin asked.

"What for?" Brian shot back.

Justin shrugged. "I don't know, we could use them to carry some of the stuff..."

"If you want to, we'll do it. I just figured we'd rough it."

"Okay. You're the one carrying the tent, so it's up to you."

"I'll manage."

"Of course you will." Justin kissed Brian on the cheek. "I'll set the tent up if you want. It's one of the only useful skills my dad taught me. While I'm doing that, you can take a nap or something, I know how beat you've been lately."

"Yeah. Actually, I plan on spending some time working on my tan."

"Me, too." Justin looked down at his pale arms. "If I don't get some sun soon, I'm going to die."

"Why haven't you done it yet?" Brian asked. "On the days you're home with Gus, you could lay out on the patio and tan."

"I know, but I'm usually busy taking care of Gus or working on a painting," Justin explained.

"I thought after finishing your masterpiece that you'd take a little break from art."

"I thought about it, but the museum wants to keep buying my work. I figured it would be best to turn out as much as possible."

"You're so greedy," Brian joked.

After a long walk, they entered the meadow. "I like it," Brian said, looking out at the expanse of open land.

"It's nice and intimate," Justin supplied. "So we won't have to worry about being interrupted."

"Good. I want to be alone with my boys." Brian put one arm around Justin and the other around Gus.

"What do you want to do first, Gus?" Justin asked, looking down at Gus, who hadn't said much since leaving home.

"I want to see the tent," Gus replied, glancing up at Brian and Justin with an excited smile.

"Okay," Brian said. "But first, we have to get it set up."

After unpacking the equipment, Justin started working on arranging the pieces. "I'm going to lay out and get some sun. If you need any help, just holler," Brian said.

"Don't worry about me, I've got this covered," Justin insisted.

"Whatever you say, dear."

Without air conditioning, Brian was already drenched in sweat. He didn't mind though. At last he was somewhere he really wanted to be and could enjoy. _And to think I tried to talk Justin out of this trip_, he thought, shaking his head. Gus kicked his shoes off and started to walk away toward the woods. "Don't go too far," Brian told him, laying a towel down on the grass

"Can I go for a walk in the woods Daddy?" Gus asked.

"Why don't you wait a little while?" Brian responded. "You can't go by yourself. Just give me long enough to get a little color."

"I'll go in with him," Justin said, standing up and dusting his shorts off.

"What about the tent?" Brian looked over at the pile of pieces lying around.

"It can wait. We still have plenty of time before dark."

"Thanks." Brian gave him a quick kiss before lying down and rubbing suntan lotion on himself. _I can't get sun burnt_. _The last thing I want to do is spend the rest of the weekend in agony because I got too much sun._ Popping in his ear buds, he closed his eyes and focused on the music.

After about an hour, Gus and Justin came out of the woods and sat down by Brian. "Do you want to put the tent up now?" Justin asked. He hadn't put a tent up since before the Liberty Ride, but figured that he could still do it. It was like riding a bike.

"Sure," Gus said, moving over next to Justin.

"Can I help?" Brian inquired, surprising both Justin and Gus.

"Aren't you tanning?" Justin shot back.

"I got the front already. This way I can do something while I do my back," Brian answered.

"Okay. The more the merrier."

Brian handed the instruction manual to Justin. "Here, you read, I'll put it together."

"But I wanted to put it up," Justin whined jokingly.

"Fine." Brian sighed and took the instruction manual. "I'll read, you put it together."

"You are so sweet." Justin leaned down and brushed his lips against Brian's.

Justin set to work and although it took him a little longer than he'd imagined, he managed to put the tent together before dark. "It shouldn't take me as long next time," he announced. "Now that I remember how to do it, I should be able to put a dozen of them up in the time it took me to do this one."

"What do you think Gus?" Brian asked.

"It's big!" Gus stepped into the tent and laughed.

"He looks so excited," Justin noted, smiling.

"Yeah, he does. Thank you for doing this." He stroked Justin's hair lovingly.

"You don't have to thank me," Justin insisted. "I love him, too."

"I know you do."

"Good."

Awhile later, Brian's stomach grumbled. He hadn't eaten since breakfast. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. Do you want to get something to eat?" he asked, rubbing his stomach.

"I'm glad you said something," Justin answered. "I was starting to feel like a wimp."

"You're still a growing boy Sunshine, you need to eat more than I do," Brian reminded him. "Now let's go check out what we brought to eat." Justin reached into the cooler they'd brought and pulled out a pack of hotdogs and bacon.

Brian lit a fire and cooked the food over the flames. They sat down on the blanket and started to eat in companionable silence. "This is delicious," Justin said, smiling. "I wish I could have this more often."

"It's just hotdogs," Brian retorted. "You can make them anytime."

"And this bacon to die for!" Justin enthused, ignoring Brian's sarcasm.

"What do you think, Gus?" Brian asked. Gus had definitely inherited his father's affinity for silence.

"It's good," Gus answered, taking a bite of his hotdog.

"Better than my cooking?" Justin asked, knowing that Gus may very well said that it was.

"No, yours is better."

"Good boy." Justin gave Gus a high five. "Mel and Linds definitely taught him to be a real charmer."

"They didn't teach him that, he inherited it from me," Brian challenged.

"And who did you inherit it from?" Justin teased.

"As much as I hate to admit it, my dad was once quite the ladies' man, so I must've gotten it from him. It's probably the only good thing he ever gave me." Brian clenched his jaw.

Justin mentally kicked himself for bringing it up. "I'm sorry," he said, reaching out and clasping Brian's hand. "I know that you don't like to talk about your dad. I should've known better than to bring it up."

"It's fine," Brian assured him. "I know you didn't mean anything by it." Despite his assurances, Justin could tell that Brian was still upset. He was about to change the subject when his cell phone rang. _Wow, great reception!_

"Hello?" he said happily.

"Justin, it's me." Daphne sounded like she was in a good mood.

"Hey Daph, what's up?"

"Sorry to bother you, I know you guys are spending time with Gus."

"Don't worry about it."

"Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I made an appointment to see the OB/GYN next week. I'm far enough along now that they can do a sonogram."

"Thanks Daph, we'll be there." Justin smiled and looked over at Brian, who was listening intently.

"Okay. I'll let you go. Have fun."

"Thanks. Talk to you later."

Returning the phone to his pocket, Justin grinned again. Within a weeks' time, he would know whether his baby would be a boy or a girl. "You obviously got good news," Brian noted, subtly pushing for more information.

"Sorry, I'm just a little surprised. Daphne made an appointment with her doctor for next week."

"Okay." Brian went back to eating his food. "I'll take the day off and we can go with her."

"She's getting an ultrasound," Justin continued, watching as Brian's eyes lit up.

"You mean...?" Brian's voice trailed off. He hadn't been involved with Lindsay's pregnancy, so this was all new to him.

"Yes. Next week we'll find out if it's a boy or a girl."

"Wow," Brian gasped, speechless. Clearly he was flabbergasted.

"Are you okay?" Justin asked. Hopefully Brian hadn't changed his mind about the baby.

Brian burst out into a grin. "I couldn't be better," he answered, jumping up to his feet and snatching Justin up into his arms, spinning him.

"I take it you're excited?" Justin teased. He didn't often see Brian in such a jovial mood.

"Of course I am." Brian leaned down and kissed him. He turned back to Gus, who was watching them with amusement. "We'll have to find someone to watch Gus," he realized.

"My mom will do it. She's been wanting to spend more time with him." Jennifer had been over a lot in the past month getting to know her grandson. "That just leaves one more thing," Justin said, chewing his lip.

"What's that?" Brian asked.

Justin held Brian's gaze for a second. "We have to pick a name now."

"That'll be fun," Brian jokingly grumbled. "How about we promise not to make such a big deal about picking a name that we start arguing?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Justin agreed.

"I'll even let you pick the name," Brian continued.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. That way if the Gus and the new baby grow up to hate their names, I can blame you."

"You're so thoughtful," Justin teased.

Laughing, Brian picked Gus up in his free arm and spun them around. The trip had been fun so far, but it was suddenly much better than they'd hoped.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin find out the sex of their child. Jennifer cautions Justin about the future.**  
**


	64. Mixed Emotions

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **While camping with Brian and Gus, Justin got a call from Daphne saying that she had an appointment with her doctor the following week.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Three

Justin's heart pounded as he and Brian walked into the doctor's office the following week. Since he had got the call from Daphne, all he had been able to think about was the ultrasound. He spotted Daphne sitting in the corner flipping through a magazine idly and plopped down in the seat next to her. "Oh my God!" Daphne gasped. "You are so tan!" Looking down at his arms, Justin could see that his time in the meadow had paid off.

"Not too tan?" he asked; although Brian had already assured him that he was just tan enough.

"It's perfect," Daphne replied, smiling. "You know, if you keep that tan, people might not notice right away that the baby's half black."

"Very funny Daph." Justin rolled his eyes at her.

"So, did Gus enjoy camping?"

"Yes! We had such a blast," Justin answered, laughing. "I'm kind of sad that it's over."

"Me, too," Brian cut in. "I was getting used to life in a tent. Sleeping all day, fucking in the jungle..."

"Oh my," Daphne murmured, giggling.

"We could always build a guesthouse in the meadow," Justin joked. He knew that Brian didn't actually want to stay out in the woods even if there was a guesthouse, but he couldn't resist teasing him.

The nurse came out and called Daphne's name. "I guess that's us," Brian said, following Daphne back into the hallway. When she stood up, Brian couldn't help but notice that Daphne had begun to show. He looked over at Justin and their eyes met. Grinning, they clasped hands. The nurse shot them a dirty look, but Brian just arched his eyebrow and smiled snidely.

"The doctor will be right with you," the nurse said to Daphne. With one final glare at Brian, she left the room.

"Thanks." Daphne sat down in one of the chairs and exhaled. "She was a real bitch. Could she stare at you guys any more? I hate people like that!"

"I don't mind," Brian replied. "I know just how to take care of people like her."

"How?" Daphne asked.

"Either ignore them or give them a show. Personally, I prefer to give them a show."

The doctor came in and shook Daphne's hand. "Which one of you is the father?" he asked, looking at Brian and Justin.

"I am," Justin answered, raising his hand slightly. "Do I need to fill out some paperwork or something?" He was completely unfamiliar with the procedure. This was the first doctor's appointment that he and Brian had gone to.

"No, everything's fine. I was just curious. I'm Scott by the way." The doctor winked at Justin, who blushed. Brian hid a smile behind his hand. There was once a time when he would have caught the eye of the young doctor, but now it was Justin's turn to shine. The funny thing was, Brian could have cared less. He knew that Justin wasn't interested in anyone but him.

"We want to do an ultrasound just to check on the baby and make sure everything's going well," Scott said, pulling out a tube of gel. "I'm just going to rub some of this on your stomach. It'll be cold at first but it will warm up." Brian and Justin exchanged amused smiles. Brian had said the same thing about lube the first time they had had sex.

Daphne lifted her shirt up to her chest and lay down, craning to see the monitor. Scott rubbed the gel on her stomach and placed a transducer on her abdomen. The screen lit up with a grainy, black-and-white image. "That's my baby?" Daphne asked, scowling. It looked really weird, like some kind of alien or something.

"Yeah, that's it," Scott confirmed. "There's the heartbeat." He pointed on the screen and shot a glance over at Justin, whose eyes were glued to the screen.

"Amazing," Justin whispered, his eyes as big as saucers.

"The baby seems to be healthy and developmentally on schedule. I'd estimate that you're at least twenty weeks in. Only sixteen more to go."

"That's great!" Daphne laughed and wiped a tear out of the corner of her eye.

"I can also tell you the sex if you want to know."

Daphne looked over at Brian and Justin. "It's up to you guys," she said. "I want to know, but if you don't, I can wait."

"I want to know," Justin replied. Squeezing Brian's hand he amended, "_We_ want to know."

"Very well." Scott's tone was clipped. Apparently he hadn't deducted that Brian and Justin were a couple. _What else would we be, her gay best friends?_

"Okay..." Scott moved the transducer down a bit and looked back at the screen. "Congratulations, you're having a girl."

"A girl!" Daphne cried, her hands flying to her mouth. "That's great!" Tears spilled down her cheeks.

Justin threw his arms around Brian. "A girl," he whispered. "Just what I wanted."

"You wanted a girl?" Brian teased. "I thought for sure you would have wanted another boy."

"Boy, girl, I didn't care. At least now I'll be able to narrow down my list of names."

"Well, there's something," Brian enthused. "Now you'll only have two million to choose from."

"Stop being such a smart ass," Justin said, pinching Brian's arm. "You should be happy."

"I am happy." Brian pressed his lips against Justin's. "We're having a daughter!"

After saying goodbye to Daphne, Brian and Justin headed back home. "What do you think about Azalea?" Justin asked out of the blue. He frowned pensively.

"Azalea?" Brian repeated skeptically. "For what?"

"Our daughter," Justin clarified. "Azalea Taylor-Kinney."

"You want to name our daughter after a shrub?"

"Well when you put it _that_ way..." Justin trailed off. "Are there any names that you like?"

"You get to pick, remember?" Brian quickly glanced over at Justin.

"I know, but I want you have your say. I promise I won't say anything. I won't even react."

"I don't know...I never thought in a million years that I'd ever be helping pick out a baby name."

"Well you are, so let's hear it," Justin pressed. "I'm sure it can't be any worse than Azalea."

"I don't want the name to be too old fashioned like Elizabeth or Catherine, but I don't want anything too common like Sarah or Brittany."

Justin chewed his lip. "I'll keep that in mind. I want something common but not too common, you know?"

"I think so," Brian answered. "Why don't you just stop fretting your little blond head about it? We've still got four more months before the baby's born. Maybe when you see her for the first time, you'll just know what her name should be."

"I guess." Justin groaned. "Now I can't wait for her to get here. It feels real for the first time."

"I know what you mean."

"But at least we have each other in the meantime. I'd go out of my mind if I was doing this on my own."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you learn some patience," Brian promised.

"You will? Oh, you're so nice."

Brian reached over and twisted Justin's nipple playfully. "Watch it sassy," he said, grinning. "I might just decide to quit being so nice."

"Oh yeah? Fine. If you do that, I'll never have sex with you again." Justin crossed his arms over his chest and arched his eyebrow.

"Okay, you win," Brian exclaimed, pretending to believe Justin. "Anything but that."

"I thought you'd say that," Justin replied, leaning over to kiss Brian.

When they got home, they found Jennifer and Gus in the backyard. "Hey honey, how did it go?" Jennifer asked, jumping to her feet as soon as she heard them coming.

"We're having a girl!" Justin beamed.

"Oh, Justin!" Jennifer hugged her son tightly. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks Mom," Justin rolled his eyes at Brian, who chuckled.

"Don't think you're getting out of this, too," Jennifer declared, setting her sights on Brian.

"All right," Brian grumbled, letting Jennifer hug him. She had changed a lot in the four years he had known her. _It's Debbie's influence,_ he thought wryly.

While Brian and Gus went to go see the horses, Jennifer and Justin sat down at the picnic table. "This has been quite a year," Jennifer said, laughing.

"Tell me about it," Justin replied.

"You moved away, came back, married Brian, fathered a child, and got your own exhibit in New York." Jennifer shook her head in disbelief. "I'm so proud of you, Justin."

"Thanks, Mom. I'm so glad that you're supporting me. I don't want my daughter to have to grow up not knowing you. Especially since she won't know Dad, or Brian's parents. I want her to have as much family as she can."

"She will," Jennifer assured him. "She'll have me, Molly, Gus, all your friends, and Debbie. Your daughter will have the biggest family in Pittsburgh."

"Yeah."

"But most importantly, she'll have two loving parents who would do anything for her and each other. Don't forget her big brother. There's nothing more a kid could ask for."

"You're right." Justin smiled. "Her life will be filled with more than enough love and support."

"And who knows? Maybe one day your father will come around. Even though he's a dick, he still loves you."

Justin laughed. "He's got a funny way of showing it. I asked Molly if he ever asks about me and she said that he didn't. He must not love me too much if he doesn't even care what his only son is up to."

"Justin..."

"At first I thought it would just take him some time to come around, like it did with you. But after he refused to help me with tuition and had me arrested, I finally realized that I can't count on him. We might have been close once upon a time, but that was a long time ago. I don't need him anymore. I've got all I need right here." He motioned around the backyard.

"Good for you, honey. I hate to see you get yourself all upset about your father."

"Do you ever regret marrying him?" Justin asked.

"Not for a second," Jennifer answered with a grin.

"Even after the way he treated you?" It seemed strange that Jennifer wouldn't regret marrying such an asshole.

"Because if I hadn't married your father, I never would've had you and Molly. You two are worth all of the pain he put me through."

"I love you, Mom," Justin blurted, resting his head on Jennifer's shoulder.

"I love you, too, honey," Jennifer replied, stroking his hair lovingly.

Brian and Gus had come back, but their presence had gone unnoticed by Justin and Jennifer. Brian cleared his throat loudly. Both Taylors turned to look at him. "I'm sorry to interrupt this mother-son bonding ritual, but Gus is ready to eat and I was wondering, Mother Taylor, if you would like to join us for dinner."

"Oh, I'd love to, Brian, but I wouldn't want to impose," Jennifer said.

"You wouldn't be imposing, I invited you. Plus Gus wants his Grandma to stay for dinner, don't you Gus?" Brian looked down at Gus, who was smiling at Jennifer expectantly.

"Please Grandma?" he begged.

"Oh, how could I say no to such a cute face," Jennifer replied, ruffling Gus's hair. "All right, I'll stay for dinner. But I'm going to help make it."

"Fine by me." Brian shrugged. "Saves me from having to help."

"Glad to know that I can help, Brian," Jennifer teased. "Besides, I like being here to watch you eat, you look like you could stand to gain a few pounds."

Brian's mouth dropped open. "You did not just say that," he muttered, shocked.

"I told you," Justin sang, grinning devilishly.

"You're nothing but skin and bone, Brian," Jennifer explained.

"Don't forget muscle," Justin added.

"Skin, bone, and muscle. It's not healthy."

"Look, I appreciate your concern, Jennifer but I don't need to gain any weight. I work very hard to maintain my body and gaining weight will ruin that."

Jennifer laughed. "Relax Brian, I was just kidding. It's none of my business what you do with your body."

"Unfortunately for you, it's mine though," Justin replied. "But I love you just the way you are."

"Aww thanks, honey," Brian said sarcastically, draping his arm around Justin's shoulder. "I knew there was a reason you married me."

After dinner, Justin and Jennifer did the dishes while Brian gave Gus a bath. "It's a shame that Gus has to go back home in a few days," Jennifer said, frowning. "I was just getting used to having him here."

"It's going to be really hard on Brian," Justin said, leaning in conspiratorially. "I feel so bad for him."

"Don't worry honey, he'll manage. He's got you to lift his spirits up and keep him going. God knows he needs it."

"Mom!" Justin chastised. He couldn't believe that his mother was trashing Brian.

"I didn't mean it like that, Justin," Jennifer replied. "I just meant that you bring him to life, I guess. I remember how he was when we first met and I saw him after you turned down his proposal. You make him very happy. I think you're the only one that can. Even if Gus were here full time, Brian would be miserable without you."

"I hadn't noticed," Justin lied. Of course, he had noticed, but figured that playing coy wouldn't hurt.

"Oh come on, like you haven't noticed." Jennifer arched her eyebrows.

"Okay, I've noticed," Justin admitted, blushing a little from the scrutiny.

"It's the same with you. I've never seen you happier than you are now. You could have everything in the world, but without Brian, it wouldn't mean anything."

"It wouldn't," Justin agreed. "And our life is only going to get better once the new baby comes along."

"Of course it will. Just be prepared for things to get a little tense for awhile."

"What do you mean?" Justin asked, turning to face his mother. Things would never be tense between him and Brian.

"I don't want to scare you, Justin, but having a baby changes things. You're going to be spending all of your time with the baby and Brian could get jealous that you aren't being as attentive to him. Or the baby waking up at all hours of the night could set you both on edge and the slightest thing could start a fight." Jennifer sighed.

"Brian and I won't be like that," Justin insisted, drying a cup. "We never fight. Right after we got married, we made a pact never to argue. That if something bothered either of us, we'd discuss it calmly and rationally. It's worked so far."

Jennifer chewed her lip. "I'm only telling you this because your father and I were the same. Before you were born, we never fought. You kept waking up at all hours of the night and your dad had to be to work early in the morning...eventually he cracked and we started fighting about everything."

"How could you say that to me?" Justin demanded, his irritation growing. Why was his mother trying to piss him off?

"I'm not blaming you, Justin. I just want you to be prepared. Maybe if you know what to expect beforehand, you'll be able to see the warning signs and stop the fights before you ruin what you and Brian have."

"Thanks for the advice," Justin said shortly, exhaling slowly. It took all of his self-control not to start an argument with his mother.

"Forget I mentioned it." Jennifer shook her head.

When the dishes were done, Jennifer went upstairs to say goodbye to Gus. "I don't think I'll be able to come and see you again before you leave, sweetheart," she explained. "I just wanted to come up and say goodbye." She gave Gus a hug and met Brian's gaze. With each passing day, he was getting even more upset about Gus leaving.

"Bye Grandma," Gus said. Jennifer leaned down and stroked his cheek.

"Give me a call sometime."

"He will," Brian promised. "I'll send your number home with him so Lindsay and Melanie can have it."

"Thanks, Brian." Jennifer gave him a sad smile before leaving.

After Gus went to bed, Brian found Justin sitting at the dinner table, staring off into space. "Thinking about something?" he asked, sitting down across from Justin.

"Just something my mother said," Justin replied, not meeting Brian's gaze.

"What did she say?"

"She warned me about what having a kid can do to our relationship," Justin answered, scoffing. "According to her, we'll start to fight about everything and that you'd get jealous."

"Me, jealous?" Brian laughed. "Yeah right." He got up and moved over so that he was sitting next to Justin. "Don't worry, that won't happen to us. We made that pact, remember?"

"I know." Justin shook his head. "But look at what happened to Mel and Linds after Gus was born. Melanie got jealous because Lindsay was giving all of her attention to Gus and before long, Mel was cheating. I don't want that to happen to us."

"You're comparing us to a pair of dykes?" Brian joked.

"You aren't even the slightest bit afraid?"

"Not at all, and you know why?"

"Why?" Justin looked deeply into Brian's brown eyes.

"Whatever happens, that won't change the fact that we love each other."

Justin chewed his lip. "I wish I could be as confident as you are. I'm so afraid of losing you."

"Hey," Brian whispered, pulling Justin into his arms. "You're never going to lose me, okay? If we do have a fight, that doesn't mean that we want our relationship to be over. It just means that we're human. As much as I'd like to think that I'm perfect, I have to admit that I do have my flaws."

"I love you so much," Justin whispered. He didn't want to ever leave Brian's arms.

"I love you, too," Brian replied, pulling back so that he was looking into Justin's eyes. Smiling, he pressed his lips against Justin's and made him forget all about his worries.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **When Calvin returns home to Hazelhurst to visit his parents, Emmett struggles to make a tough decision. Hunter shares his career path with Michael and Ben.


	65. Emmett's Choice

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Hunter's girlfriend Lexi developed Kaposi's Sarcoma and died, leaving him devastated.

Emmett had an affair with his ex, Drew Boyd. In the end, he chose Calvin over Drew and although they temporarily broke up, Emmett and Calvin eventually found each other again and got married. But Calvin was unable to put the past behind them. In order to keep his marriage intact, Emmett agreed to see a counselor.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Four

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" Calvin asked, setting his bags down by the door. He'd already asked Emmett the question a million times, but figured that asking once more couldn't hurt. He was flying back to Hazelhurst to visit his family for the weekend and didn't want to leave Emmett home. Not because he didn't trust him, but because he wanted Emmett to get to know his parents better, and was hoping to meet Emmett's family, too.

"Yes, I'm sure," Emmett answered, careful to keep the irritation out of his voice. The last thing he wanted to do was start an argument, especially since they'd been doing so well the past few months.

"There's room for you at my parents' place," Calvin continued, hoping to convince Emmett to come along.

"Calvin, no. I can't go back there. It would be too painful for me." Emmett sat down on the sofa and laced his fingers together. "I don't expect you to understand because your family isn't like mine. I was disowned."

"You don't even have to see your family while you're in town."

"I'm sorry, I can't," Emmett said with finality. Just the thought of going back home made his stomach knot up. "I can't," he repeated.

Heaving a defeated sigh, Calvin sat down next to Emmett. "All right, I can't force you to go. I just want you to know that I'll be thinking about you every second while I'm gone."

"You, too," Emmett replied, smiling. "They have phones in Hazelhurst, maybe we can have a little phone sex while you're away. That way you won't be tempted to roam by the some hot little stable boy or something."

"Mmmm. You know, the best way to make sure that some hot little stable boy doesn't catch my eye is for you to come with me," Calvin pushed. Emmett arched his eyebrows and stared at Calvin. "Yeah, yeah. I know. So, what are you going to do without me here?"

Emmett contemplated that for a second. "I guess I'll just have to figure something out. Maybe I'll call Teddy and see what he's up to."

"You know, I'm surprised that Blake doesn't get jealous. You and Ted are always hanging out together," Calvin noted.

"Blake knows he's got nothing to worry about. Ted and I haven't slept together in years."

"What!" Calvin exclaimed. _Oops._ _There's my big mouth again!_

"What what?" Emmett asked innocently.

"You and Ted slept together?"

"I didn't tell you that?" Calvin shook his head emphatically. "Yeah, about two years ago, Teddy and I dated. Actually, we bought a house and were going to move in together."

"What happened?" Calvin asked, genuinely interested.

"He lost his job, started using crystal meth and treated me like shit, so I left him."

"That must've been hard for you. I know how much he means to you."

"It was. We didn't talk for a while. But he went to rehab and got clean and I couldn't stay mad at him. While he was in rehab, he ran into Blake and they reconciled for a bit and then broke up again They have a way of doing that."

"I see," Calvin said simply.

"You aren't...jealous, are you?" Emmett really hoped that Calvin wouldn't get upset about something that happened years before they got together.

"Why would I be jealous? You're with me now. Although I do have to admit that I've always had a sneaking suspicion that you and Ted were more than friends," Calvin admitted.

"You could tell?"

"A little. Why didn't you tell me this before now?"

Emmett sighed. "I didn't think it was necessary for you to know. Like I said, it was two years before we got together and I have absolutely no romantic feelings for him anymore." He looked into Calvin's eyes, imploring him to let it go.

"I understand," Calvin said, gripping Emmett's shoulder. "I haven't told you about my past boyfriends."

"And you don't have to," Emmett assured him. "I really don't care. The past is the past."

"I couldn't agree more." Calvin leaned in and kissed Emmett. "I better get going, I'm gonna miss my plane."

"Have a safe flight," Emmett said. "I'll be waiting here when you get back."

Calvin picked up his bags and paused in the doorway. "If you change your mind about coming, you know where to find me." He shot Emmett a devilish grin before shutting the door behind him. _He just won't let it go, will he?_ Emmett thought, shaking his head. No way in hell was he going back to Hazelhurst, not after all that had happened before he'd moved to Pittsburgh. _Great, now I'm depressed._ Emmett padded into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of milk. Going into the cupboard, he pulled out the bag of Oreo's. Usually when he was feeling depressed, he had vanilla pudding with maple syrup, but unfortunately, there was none in the apartment and he didn't feel up to going out to the market. _Oreo's will just have to do._

Sitting back on the sofa, Emmett ate his cookies in peace. He had the apartment to himself for three whole days. Maybe with Calvin gone he could finally get around to hanging up the prints he'd bought online and stashed in the closet. _And this place is in dire need of a good vacuuming, _he noted, looking around at the thin layer of dust coating the coffee table. Calvin would love to come home to a freshly cleaned apartment. _When did this place get to be such a mess?_ he wondered. _I never had this problem when I lived with Michael._

After he finished his cookies, Emmett set to work cleaning and redecorating the apartment. Before he knew it, two hours had passed. _Well that helped ease my boredom for a few hours,_ he thought looking around at the now pristine apartment. Sitting back down on the couch, he sighed. Calvin had been gone for less than half a day and he already missed him. _Maybe I should have gone with him. No. No you shouldn't have!_

Grabbing the phone, Emmett dialed Ted's number. After a few rings he picked up. "Hello." Ted sounded slightly out of breath. _I guess he and Blake are still enjoying their marriage,_ Emmett thought with a wry smile.

"Hey Teddy, it's Emmett."

"I wouldn't have guessed," Ted teased. "What's up?"

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Emmett asked gingerly. He didn't want to cut in on Ted and Blake's sexual escapades.

Ted exhaled loudly. "No, I just got back from a jog and I'm waiting for Blake to get home from work," Ted answered.

"Oh." _Thank God! _"Since when do you jog?"

"Blake got me into it."

"Well, since I'm all alone and you're all alone, I thought maybe we could hang out or something."

"Why are you alone?" Ted asked.

"Calvin went back to Hazelhurst to visit his parents," Emmett explained.

"And you didn't go because...?" Ted knew that Emmett had a hang up about Hazelhurst; he'd never really told them what it was, but he figured that Emmett would have wanted to go spend some time with his husband's parents.

"Because you know how I feel about going back there!" Emmett snapped. Taking a deep breath, he apologized. "I'm sorry, Teddy. I didn't mean that."

"Forget it, I shouldn't have pushed you. Do you want to hang out at your place or would you rather meet up at Woody's for a few drinks?"

"I'm not really feeling much up to going out," Emmett answered, tucking his feet under his legs.

"Okay, I'll be right over. How's pizza sound?"

"You're the best friend in the whole wide world," Emmett replied. "See you in a bit."

"Bye."

Hanging up the phone, Emmett switched on the TV to amuse himself until Ted got there. He found a rerun of _Gay As Blazes_ and settled for that. Emmett had watched the show for awhile, idolizing the characters. But after meeting a supposedly monogamous gay couple that reminded him from characters in the show and realizing that the show wasn't as real as he'd thought it had been, he'd stopped watching. The next year it got canceled and now, in his own monogamous relationship, he frequently caught the reruns on TV since the DVDs hadn't been released yet. _They probably never will_, he thought sourly. _If they release a TV show about gay people on DVD it might corrupt children or something._

A light tapping at the door shook him out of his funk. Rushing to the door, Emmett threw it open and grinned. "Teddy!" he trilled.

"Hey Em," Ted said, juggling a pizza and a bottle of wine. "Can you grab that?" he asked as the wine rolled. Emmett managed to grab it before it shattered on the floor. "Thanks."

"No problem. Go set that stuff down in the living room, I'll get the plates and glasses," Emmett announced, disappearing into the kitchen. Ted went into the living room and set the pizza box down on the coffee table, glancing at the TV. "_Gay As Blazes_," he gasped, grinning. He hadn't watched the show since it had been canceled a few years earlier. He had loved it when it was still on the air and had been devastated when it had been canceled.

Emmett came back with two plates and two wine goblets. "Here you go," he said setting one of each in front of Ted.

"Thanks." Ted opened the bottle of wine and poured himself a glass before handing the bottle to Emmett. "The place looks nice," he noted, looking around at all the new paintings hanging up.

"Thanks Teddy." Emmett grinned. "After Calvin left I realized just how badly in need of a make over this place was. So, I set to work fixing the problem and _voilà_. I just hope Calvin likes it. We don't need to start fighting again."

"I thought you guys were doing well," Ted said, taking a bite of his pizza.

"We have been. Our counselor has officially dismissed us, so that's got to be good, right?" He didn't wait for Ted to respond. "But I'm still a little wary. I never know what's going to set him off and start a fight."

Ted took a deep breath before replying. "Are you happy, Em?" he asked, frowning concernedly. From what he'd heard, Emmett's relationship with Calvin sounded pretty one-sided. Emmett went out of his way to keep Calvin happy, but Calvin didn't do anything in return. Sure, they went to counseling and tried to work it all out, but it seemed that Emmett was the only one making the sacrifices. Ted didn't want to be the one to stir things up, that was usually Brian's job, but at the moment, their other friends were busy with their own lives.

"Of course," Emmett said, not entirely convincing. "I mean, I'm not happy all the time but I'm happy with Calvin if that's what you mean." He looked at Ted over the rim of his wine glass.

"I'm just worried about you is all," Ted replied, looking down at his feet.

Emmett reached across the table and took Ted's hand in his. "Thanks for looking out for me Teddy, but I'm fine. Calvin and I might not have the perfect relationship like you and Blake or Michael and Ben, or, Christ, Brian and Justin, but we're happy."

"That's all I care about," Ted said, squeezing Emmett's hand comfortingly. Emmett looked down at their hands and chuckled to himself. "What?" Ted asked, self-consciously dabbing at this mouth with a napkin.

"Nothing. It's just..." He chuckled again. "Calvin didn't know that you and I used to be a couple. I told him and he said that he'd always suspected it."

"I guess it's because we're so close." Ted chewed his lip. "I mean, I don't have feelings like that for you anymore. Blake is the only one for me."

"And I don't like you like that anymore," Emmett confirmed. "I'd like to say that Calvin is the only one for me, but I've been happy with other people."

"Like Drew?" Ted asked, instantly regretting it.

Emmett chewed his lip. "Actually, yes. Once I finally got him to stop hiding who he was from the world, we were happy. Who knows, if things would've been different, we might still be together."

"You still love him, don't you?" Ted asked, smiling tightly.

"I don't know," Emmett admitted. "If I did, why did I choose Calvin over him?"

"Just because you chose Calvin, doesn't mean you don't love Drew."

"I guess I'll always love him," Emmett realized. "He was the first boyfriend I had besides you that made me feel good about myself and didn't try to make me something I'm not."

"He accepted you for who you are," Ted rephrased.

"Exactly."

Ted nodded. "Do you regret letting him go?" he asked gently.

"Go? He's just doing conditioning for the upcoming season, he'll always be in Pittsburgh. This is his home."

"I meant breaking up with him," Ted explained.

"Oh." He thought about that for a moment. During the first month of his marriage to Calvin when they'd been at each other's throats all the time, he'd often thought about how things would have been different with Drew. But if he'd stayed with Drew, chances were that he would've ended up with a broken heart, sad and alone. "No," he answered finally. "I'm glad that I did the mature thing and let him go. He would have fooled around on me and I would have gotten my heart broken again."

That last sentence made guilt stab Ted in the gut. He had broken Emmett's heart. Not intentionally, of course. He'd been high on crystal meth at the time, but he still remembered every word he'd said that had caused the break up. A tear slipped down his cheek. "What' wrong?" Emmett asked, lifting Ted's face up with a finger under his chin.

"Nothing," Ted replied, smiling. "Just, got some pepper in my eye." He wiped at his eye for good measure. _A subject change is in order,_ he decided. "So, how long is Calvin going to be out of town for?"

"Just the weekend," Emmett replied, frowning. "The funny thing is, I didn't think I'd miss him this much. I thought for sure I'd be enjoying some time on my own, but I can't stop thinking about him."

"You know that means," Ted said, laughing.

"What?" Emmett asked, leaning forward excitedly.

"It means that you are irrevocably in love and need to catch a plane to Hazelhurst so you can surprise him."

"You think?" Emmett frowned pensively. Maybe Calvin had been right: just because he was in Hazelhurst didn't mean that he had to see his family. And it would be nice to get to know the people that Calvin was always telling him about. _It's time I got over my psychoses_, he decided. "I'm going to do it," he announced with finality.

Ted choked on the wine he'd been in the process of swallowing. "Are you serious!"

"Dead serious," Emmett replied, standing up.

"I was kidding," Ted admitted. "I know that you don't ever want to go back there."

"It's time I let the past lie," Emmett explained. "The only way to do that is to go back. Maybe I'll call my family, maybe I won't. What matters is that I'm moving on with my life."

"Good for you, Em," Ted smiled proudly.

"Oh, my God, Teddy, this is!"

"What?" Ted quirked an eyebrow.

"My Sophie's Choice. Except it-it's my choice. Emmett's choice."

"I hardly think this situation can be compared to Sophie's Choice. I mean, you're not exactly choosing which of your children will live and which will die," Ted pointed out.

"Shut up!" Emmett slapped his arm playfully. "You know how difficult this is for me."

"Yeah, I do." Ted sighed. "I'll let you pack, then." He made to leave.

"Wait!" Emmett exclaimed. Ted spun around and saw Emmet's pleading smile. "Drive me to the airport?"

* * *

Hunter had finally seemed to come out of his slump about a month after Lexi had died. He was smiling again and he wasn't spending all of his time alone in his bedroom. "A doctor," Ben repeated, testing the word out.

"Yeah," Hunter replied. "I want to find try to find a cure for AIDS."

"So you're going to be a research scientist?" Michael asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Research scientist, doctor, whatever. That's what I want." Hunter looked at Michael pleadingly.

"Good for you," Michael said, smiling. "I always knew you'd find something good to do with your life that would help other people."

"I don't want anyone else to have to suffer like Lexi and her family did," Hunter continued. "The only problem is, that adds four more years of school."

"You can do it," Ben assured him, smiling reassuringly. "There are scholarships and grants you can get and Michael and I will help when we can."

"Thanks guys." Hunter smiled at both of them. "So I guess Allegheny Community College is out of the picture. I'll have to find another school."

"I hear Strayer University is good," Ben supplied. "Or you could come to Carnegie Mellon, I might be able to get you a discount."

"We'll see," Hunter promised. "I have to complete some applications before I miss the deadline and have to wait until the winter semester."

"If you need any help, just let me know," Ben said. "I know about stuff like that."

"You already told me that," Hunter teased. "If I need help, I'll ask."

Michael watched the exchange in silence. He didn't have much to contribute on the subject. He hadn't even finished college so he couldn't really offer any advice, though he had been thinking a lot lately about going back to get his degree now that he could afford it. The hardest part was deciding what to go for. He had wanted to be a writer when he was younger and now that he had _Rage_, he was able to do that in his favorite medium: comic books. He'd never pictured himself as a businessman like Brian or an accountant like Ted. He just needed to decide what he wanted to do with his life. Maybe he'd talk to Brian about it later.

Ben looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. "I have to go or I'm going to be late for my class," he said, standing up. "I'll see you guys later." He gave Michael a quick peck on the cheek and waved to Hunter before leaving.

"It's good to see him in a good mood again," Hunter noted.

"It's good to see _you_ in a good mood again," Michael corrected. "We were getting pretty worried about for awhile there."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Hunter chewed his lip.

"You don't have to apologize," Michael insisted. "We know how much you loved Lexi and it was hard on you when she passed away. We're just glad that you're moving on with your life."

"Me, too." Hunter smiled. "Which reminds me, I picked up an extra shift at the diner and Grandma's going to be here any minute."

Michael nodded. "Have a good day," he said. "I guess I'll just stay here...all by myself." Despite his comment, Michael didn't mind being home alone. By the time he showered and got ready, it would almost be time to open the comic shop anyway. He put his bowl of cereal in the sink and rinsed the milk out so that it wouldn't leave a ring at the bottom. If he did decide to go back to school, he'd have to work his schedule around the comic store. Since he was the only employee, he couldn't just have someone else open it for him. He'd hire someone, but the profits weren't good enough for that. The only time that profits went up dramatically was when the issue of _Rage_ was released, which wasn't all that often anymore since Justin was half an hour away. _Besides, _Michael thought, _he's got the art career he's always dreamed of. I highly doubt he's still going to want to come out with a bi-monthly issue of _Rage_ for the small amount we'd actually make off it. _

After doing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen, Michael grabbed his keys and headed out. He had some work to do and didn't want to miss the business rush.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian takes Gus home.


	66. Goodbye, Gus

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin got Gus for the summer.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Five

Brian was gently rocking Gus in his lap. They were sitting on floor in Gus's room watching a DVD. Gus was going back home in the morning, so all of his possessions had been packed up and were sitting by the door. Looking around, Brian felt another wave of depression hit him. He was going to miss his son, something he had never thought possible. Not until Mel and Linz had announced their plan to relocate to Canada, that is.

Justin came into the room and stopped in the doorway. "Is everything all packed up?" he asked, more for something to say than curiosity. He could see that the room was empty of everything that had adorned it, save the bed and TV. He felt a stab of sadness in his gut.

"I already took care of it," Brian answered simply, shooting Justin a sad smile over his shoulder.

"Okay." Justin sat down next to them and rested his head on Brian's shoulder. For a moment, Brian was happy again. His family was together and well. What more could he want? _How about for tomorrow never to come?_ _For Lindsay and Melanie to move back to Pittsburgh? For summer to last all year?_

He felt Justin squeeze his hand comfortingly. Apparently he wasn't as good at hiding his true feelings as he had once been. He squeezed Justin's hand back and smiled at him lovingly. If it weren't for Justin, he didn't know how he would get through the events of the next day. _I wouldn't_, he realized. _I'd end up drunk and high on anything I can get my hands on._ Brian couldn't bring himself to trash the memory of his summer with Gus that way.

When the movie was over, Gus was still wide awake. "I guess you can stay up a while longer," Brian relented. "It is your last night here. We should enjoy it."

"Can we go out on the horses?" Gus asked, staring up at Brian with wide eyes.

"It's nighttime, Gus," he replied, pointing out the window at the black sky.

"So?" Brian was prepared to nip the idea in the bud, but decided against it. Surely it wouldn't matter that much. Especially if they stayed in the yard and didn't go out into the meadow.

"Get your shoes on," Brian replied. Gus jumped up and down and ran out of the room to get his shoes.

Justin exhaled loudly. "Do you really think that's such a good idea?" he asked, brow creased worriedly. He was already having visions of something terrible happening to both Brian and Gus. His stomach twisted into nervous knots.

"Sure." Brian shrugged. "What's the worst that can happen?" _You just had to say that, didn't you?_

"Let's see, you could fall and get hurt, one or both of you could die, you could end up crippled like Christopher Reeve." He ticked each item off on a finger. "As you just pointed out, it's night. What if the horse can't see where it's going and something bad happens?"

"What if nothing bad happens?" Brian challenged, arching his eyebrow.

"Fine. Just...be careful, okay? If something ever happened to you or Gus..." his voice trailed off.

"Nothing's going to happen to us," Brian assured him, hugging Justin close to his chest. "Besides, you're coming with us."

"I am?" Justin's voice rose an octave or two in fear.

Brian laughed. "You haven't been out with us in a long time. Come on, it's for Gus."

"Okay," Justin yielded, rolling his eyes. "But if my ass gets sore from that horse that means no sex for you."

"You're joking, right?" Brian asked, mouth hanging open.

"Am I?" Justin retorted, grinning wickedly and walking out of the room.

"Daddy!" Gus shouted up to him.

"I'll be right down," Brian called back, hurrying down the hall to the bedroom. He dug in the drawer for a pair of socks and slipped them on. The weather outside was warm enough that he could get away with a short-sleeved shirt and jeans. _Fuck, before you know it, we'll be up to our asses in snow again_, he realized miserably. December was only four months away.

They walked out to the stables together with Brian leading the way, holding a lantern. When the stall doors opened, the horses trotted out. They were used to Brian and Gus by now, though they kept a wary eye on Justin. "Up you go," Brian said, lifting Gus up into the saddle. Gus expertly grabbed the reigns and urged his pony out of the stables.

"Look at him," Brian said, looking on with pride. Gus had learned so much in the past few months and Brian couldn't be prouder.

"You taught him so much," Justin agreed. "See? You always said you were a shitty father, look at you now. You've proved yourself wrong."

"Yeah." Brian shot Justin another of his heart melting grins. "I guess you were right after all."

"I usually am," Justin replied with a self-assured smirk.

"Sure you are," Brian teased as he got up into the saddle. He held down his hand for Justin to grab on to.

The horse trotted out into the yard. Gus was a few feet in front of them, looking back expectantly. "We can't go too far," Brian told him. "The horses won't be able to see."

"Where are we supposed to go then?" Gus asked.

"We'll just have to stay back here. There's plenty of room." He spurred the horse into a gallop and looked back at Gus. "See?" Gus laughed and followed his father's example.

As the wind blew past his face, Brian closed his eyes for a second. He loved the feeling of riding a horse: the wind against his skin, the adrenaline of knowing that if he wasn't careful, he could be thrown off the horse and break his neck. He could tell that Gus felt the same way. The boy's face was lit up with pure excitement. _Like father, like son._ Brian craned his neck so that he could see Justin. Justin was holding on to his waist with a death grip, but his face was calm. When he saw Brian looking at him, he smiled and nodded. _I'm okay._

They carried on like this for a long time, using the length of the backyard as a track. They only stopped when the horses were both coated in a thin sheen of sweat, their breathing labored. "Come on, Gus," Brian called, pointing toward the stables. "Time to let the horses get to bed."

"Okay," Gus grumbled, steering his horse back toward the house. Once back in the stable, Gus hopped down from the horse and shooed it into its stall. He was waiting by the door by the time Brian and Justin's horse came trotting back. "What took you so long?" he teased.

Brian locked the horses back in their stalls and gave them both some water. "You better say goodbye to your horse," Brian said. "You won't see him again for awhile."

"Bye, Brownie," Gus said, sticking his hand through the gap so that the horse could nuzzle it.

"Brownie?" Brian asked. "When did you give him a name?"

"That's always been his name," Gus answered, as if it was common knowledge.

"Sorry. I didn't know."

"I'm going to miss Brownie," Gus continued as they walked back to the house.

"Only Brownie?" Brian inquired. He knew that Gus would miss him and Justin, but it didn't hurt to hear him say it.

"No."

"Are you going to miss me?" Justin asked, smiling at Gus.

"Yes. And Daddy."

"I'm going to miss you, too." Brian leaned down and picked Gus up into his arms. Gus squealed with pleasure and nestled his head against Brian's chest.

Carrying his son up the stairs, Brian paused at the threshold to Gus's room. It was their last night together and he didn't want it to end. Justin came up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to sleep with Daddy and I tonight, Gus?" he asked, catching Brian's eye.

"Yeah!" Gus shouted. "Daddy and Justin's bed!"

"Okay!" Justin replied, grabbing Gus's pillow and blanket. "Lucky for you, the bed's big enough for three."

"I've fit more than three in there," Brian said, just loud enough for Justin to hear.

"I bet you did." Justin gave Brian a playful shove. "If I remember correctly, we've made it up to four."

"Four? I thought it was five?" Brian shrugged. "Oh well, it doesn't matter. There's only room for three anymore." He slung his arm over Justin's shoulder and walked down the hall to their bedroom.

Gus was already in bed, yawning. "Somebody's tired," Justin noted, lying down in the spot to the right of Gus.

"Somebody's had a big day," Brian explained. Gus yawned again. "Okay, time for bed." He climbed into the bed and rolled over onto his side so that he could see both Gus and Justin. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too, Daddy," Gus replied mechanically. He was still too young to entirely grasp the situation. Brian caught Justin's eye and smiled. _I love you, too, _he silently added.

Kissing Gus on the cheek, Brian turned out the light and settled in. He had left the curtains open, so pale moonlight shone through the window, illuminating the bed. Before long, Gus was asleep, his chest rising and falling evenly. Brian closed his eyes, but his mind kept wandering back to the fact that by the same time tomorrow, Gus would be gone. Sighing with resignation, he opened his eyes and stared over at Gus's sleeping form. He could just make out the boy's face in the moonlight. He stared at it long and hard, burning it into his memory. Who knew how much Gus would grow while he was away? _How the fuck do Lindsay and Melanie do this?_ he wondered. Weren't mothers supposed to have a bond with their child that the father could never understand? Maybe Lindsay was a better actress that he'd ever given her credit for.

Justin shifted so that he was on his side, facing Gus and Brian. He caught Brian's eye and reached his hand over Gus. Brian clasped the hand in his and stared into Justin's eyes.

There had never been another person in his life that cared about him as much as Justin did. Well, except for Michael, but he was his best friend, he didn't love Brian in the way that Justin did...anymore. Somehow, Brian managed a tight smile. Justin returned the smile and rested his head on his free arm, that way he had a better view of Brian. He didn't want him to have to go through this alone.

Sleep continued to evade Brian for a long time. Justin had eventually fallen asleep, still holding Brian's hand. Brian continued to watch his boys sleep, something he had rarely done before. For the first time in his life, he didn't feel like a cold, heartless prick. He felt like a loving, devoted husband and father. _My how times have changed,_ he thought wryly. Times had changed, and although he had resisted the change wholeheartedly, he was thankful.

After what felt like forever but was actually only a few hours, Brian's eyes began to grow heavy. He fought to stay awake just a little longer, but exhaustion hit him hard. Against his will, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Gus slept in unusually late. Instead, Brian was the first one to wake up. He lay in bed, looking over at Gus as he had the night before. _You're going home today_, he thought sadly. Justin stirred on the other side of Gus and sat up, careful not to wake him. "He's still asleep?" Justin asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"He must've been pretty tired last night," Brian replied. His stomach growled loudly and Justin chuckled.

"I'll go make breakfast," he said, climbing out of bed. "We're going to need it."

"Thanks." Brian watched him go and turned back to Gus, who was starting to wake up. "Good morning," he whispered, stroking the boy's cheek lovingly. Gus mumbled something unintelligible and cuddled up to Brian. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Brian held Gus, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

Some time later, Justin called up that breakfast was ready. It took all of Brian's willpower to get out of bed. "Come on, Gus, Justin made breakfast," he said. Gus hopped out of bed and padded down the stairs to the table. Justin had laid all of food out and was pouring them all a glass of orange juice.

"Good morning," he said, smiling warmly. He figured it was best to keep his composure for Gus's sake. There was no use upsetting the poor kid anymore than he already was.

"Good morning," Gus replied around his mouthful of pancakes. They were Gus's favorite and Justin had figured that since he was leaving in a few hours, it would make him happy to have his favorite for breakfast.

Brian shuffled down the stairs and sat down at the table. "Pancakes," he commented, pouring some syrup onto the pancakes on his plate. "Good idea."

"Thanks." Justin smiled and sat down. "So," he said awkwardly, "are you excited for school next week, Gus?"

"Yeah," Gus answered. He would be going into kindergarten. "School is fun."

"School's fun?" Brian laughed. "Just wait until you get into junior high. We'll see how fun you find it, then."

"Tell me about it," Justin agreed. "I don't know how I would have made it without Daphne. I hated everybody else in my class."

"Do you have any friends?" Brian asked Gus. They didn't really talk about school since Gus had just completed preschool and hadn't really had the opportunity to make friends since he would be getting all new classmates for the new school year.

"A couple."

"What are their names?" Brian was interested in knowing about Gus's friends. He hoped that Gus found someone that would stick with him like Michael had done with him. A best friend for life.

"There's Peter, Brendan, and Freddie." Gus blushed. "And Sydney."

"A girl?" Brian grinned mischievously. "What do your moms have to say about that?"

"Nothing. They like her. Sometimes she comes over to play with me."

"Is she pretty?" Brian couldn't help but ask, not that he expected Gus to know exactly what he meant.

"Ew!" Gus shrieked. "Daddy!"

"Sorry." He laughed.

"Girls are gross! They have cooties."

"They do," Brian agreed, stroking Gus's hair lovingly. "Well," he amended, "most of them do."

"The wonderful things kids learn in preschool," Justin muttered, shaking his head.

"I think its sweet."

Justin raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You would. I remember the cootie thing from when _I_ was in preschool. You'd think that kids would come up with something new."

"They never do."

After breakfast, Brian and Gus cleaned up for Justin. Brian wanted to spend every minute he could with his son. Their plane was leaving in a few hours and even though Brian was going to fly with him back to Canada and stay the night, he still felt that he couldn't spend enough time with his son even if he had all the time in the world to do so. The dishes didn't take long and afterward, they sat down in the living room sofa. Brian played with Gus, tickling him and blowing raspberries on his stomach. The sound of Gus's excited laughter helped keep the misery at bay.

With an hour left before they had to leave, Brian quickly jumped in the shower. He couldn't stand poor personal hygiene. It drove him crazy. The hot water made him feel clean again, pure even. Drying himself off, Brian changed into some fresh clothes and went back downstairs. He was surprised to see all of Gus's stuff sitting by the door already. _Justin must have brought it down,_ he figured, shrugging. Gus had accumulated a lot of stuff during his stay. He'd come with a two small suitcases and was leaving with several extra bags of stuff that both Brian and Justin had bought for him. He grabbed the suitcase and as many bags as he could and carried them outside, putting them in the back of the Jeep. He would have taken the Corvette, but the Jeep had more room. Justin wouldn't mind, he still liked to drive the Corvette every chance he got.

Justin and Gus came outside and brought with them the rest of Gus's things. "Is it time to go already?" Justin asked, chewing his lip.

"Unfortunately," Brian confirmed, throwing one the bags in a little too aggressively. He was suddenly feeling angry. Not at Justin, but at life in general. _This is exactly why I never wanted to let anybody in,_ he thought. _To spare my self these shitty, weak feelings. _But seeing Justin and Gus's faces reminded him that it was all worth it in the end. At least, he hoped it was all worth it in the end.

"Give me a few minutes and I'll come with you," Justin said, turning to head back into the house.

"You don't have to," Brian called after him.

"I want to," Justin shot back, disappearing. Brian shook his head and laughed. Justin would not take no as answer. It was another thing he loved about him. _Will I ever stop finding more reasons to love him?_ he wondered.

Justin came back out a few minutes later and they got into the Jeep. "I'll drive," he offered, sliding into the driver's seat. "You just sit back and relax."

"Thanks," Brian muttered, staring out the window for a second. Justin started the Jeep and accelerated.

They didn't talk the whole drive to the airport. There was nothing to say. Gus sat quietly in the back, staring out the window. Brian watched him in the rearview mirror, idly chewing on his fingernails. He knew that with each passing minute, he was that much closer to losing Gus. Justin kept glancing over at Brian through the corner of his eye. The only other time he'd seen Brian this upset was when he'd been released from the hospital after being bashed by Chris Hobbs. Brian had taken it hard, partly because he blamed himself and partly because even though he wouldn't admit it, he loved Justin and seeing him hurt was a fate worse than death.

When they got to the airport, Justin put the Jeep into park and looked over at Brian. "We're here," he said softly. Without a word, Brian got out and went around to the back, gathering the bags. "Let me help," Justin offered, taking a few. He'd never quite realized just how much stuff Gus had until then. Gus took a hold of Brian's spare hand as they crossed the parking lot toward the airport.

Once inside, they put the luggage through the scanner and stopped outside the gate. "Well, I guess this is it," Justin said, all hint of joy devoid in his voice.

"I guess so," Brian replied, trying and failing to muster up a tight smile. Justin felt a lump forming in his throat.

"Bye, Gus," Justin croaked, crouching down and wrapping his arms around him. "I'll miss you."

"Bye, Justin." Gus waited a few seconds before pulling away. He smiled up at Justin sadly.

"I love you," Brian said, giving Justin a quick peck.

"I love you, too. See you tonight." With a final sad glance, Brian and Gus went through the gate and out of sight.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Calvin convinces Emmett to do something he never thought he'd do.


	67. Mending Fences

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **After Calvin traveled back home to Hazelhurst to visit with his family, Ted convinced Emmett to break his vow to never return.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Six

By the time his plane had landed, Emmett had begun to seriously question his sanity. What had he been thinking hopping on a plane back to Hazelhurst? _You did it for Calvin_, he reminded himself, mopping the sweat from his brow. He'd forgotten how warm it could be in Mississippi. _At least now I remember one more reason why I left and swore never to come back._

Flagging down a cab, he handed the driver a piece of paper. Calvin had written down the address for his parents' house and Emmett had snatched it off of the counter on his way out the door. The driver accepted the paper and drove off. "Where are you from?" the driver asked casually, glancing at Emmett in the rear-view mirror.

"Pittsburgh," Emmett replied. He didn't really want to talk to the driver, but what choice did he have?

"I've never been there," the driver continued. "I've never left Hazelhurst, to be honest. Have you ever been here before?"

"Yeah." Emmett considered lying, but decided against it. What harm could be done telling a cab driver about himself? "Actually, I was born and raised here."

"Really?" the driver balked. "You don't have an accent."

"I don't?" Emmett remembered back when he'd first moved to Pittsburgh. Everyone had told him that he had had a hint of a southern accent, even though he himself could not hear it.

"Nope. Must be all that fraternizing you're doing with the northerners," the drivers joked. His laugh became a phlegmy cough. _Yum_, Emmett thought, wrinkling his face in disgust.

"Yeah, must be." He turned and looked out the window.

The driver was silent for a moment. "Why'd you leave?" he drawled. "If you don't mind my asking."

"No, not at all." Emmett thought for a moment. Did he really want to tell a complete stranger that he was gay and that his father had disowned him? Who knows how the driver would react? For all Emmett knew, the driver could be a psycho homophobe that would have no problem beating the shit out of him. _Quit being so ridiculous,_ he chided himself. "Family stuff," he answered, simply.

"I hear ya," the driver agreed. "Family can be a pain in the ass. Say, what's your name?"

"Excuse me?" Emmett fixed the driver with a questioning look. Since when did cab drivers ask for their customers' names?

"You said you were from around here. I was just wondering if I know your folks," the driver explained. "I'm Hal Goodman."

"Emmett Honeycutt."

"No way!" Hal exclaimed. "Your momma wasn't Enid Honeycutt, was she?"

Emmett bit back a grin. "That's her," he confirmed. What were the chances of that?

"I remember her growing up. She always brought a pecan pie when she visited people. They were awful as all hell, but we never noticed because all she did was talk." He laughed at the memory. "I just saw your daddy yesterday."

"And how's he doing?"

"He's a bit sick actually. He was in an accident at work a few weeks ago and got pretty banged up. I go over every couple of days and check up on him."

"There's no one else who can help him?" Emmett asked, rhetorically. He felt bad, but was not about to express it.

"Your brothers and sisters are all off living their own lives."

"They always were selfish," Emmett muttered, shaking his head.

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. "So," Hal said, finally, "Are you going to see your daddy while you're in town?"

"No." Emmett glared at the driver. "He doesn't want anything to do with me and I'm not going to make a fool of myself."

"Then, why are you here?" Hal held Emmett's gaze in the rear-view mirror.

"My husband came home to see his family and I decided to surprise him," Emmett revealed, waiting for the car to slam to a halt. When a few seconds passed and the car was still going, he warily looked up into the rear-view mirror. Hal was smiling. "What?" Emmett asked, nervously fixing the collar of his shirt.

Hal chuckled. "Your parents don't want anything to do with you cause you're gay, right?" he asked bluntly.

"That's it." Emmett waved his hand in the air. "My mom didn't really care, but my daddy didn't want anything to do with me after he found out that the reason I spent so much time with Gale Baxter was because we were lovers and not best friends." He grimaced at the memory. He'd never seen his father more angry than that day.

"How long has it been since you've been home?" Hal continued.

"Nineteen years," Emmett replied. _Wow, has it really been that long?_

"Damn." Hal whistled. "And they still haven't gotten over it?"

"Nope."

"It's a shame. Your pa would be in such great care right now if you were still here." Emmett couldn't help but feel a wave of guilt. He pushed it away though. _You would be here helping him if he hadn't told you to never come back,_ he reminded himself.

The rest of the ride flew by and before Emmett knew it, the car was parked in front of a decent sized house. "We're here," Hal announced, turning around so that he was facing Emmett.

"Oh." Emmett dug in his wallet for cab fare. "Keep the change," he said, opening the door.

"Hold on!" Hal called, reaching out to grab Emmett's arm.

"What?" Emmett asked, afraid that something had happened.

"I'm going to see your dad later tonight. Is there something you want me to tell him for you?"

Emmett considered that for a moment. He hadn't spoken to his father in nineteen years and had every right to hate him, but somehow, being back home, he just couldn't. "Give him my love and tell him I hope he feels better." He smiled tightly.

"Will do." Hal returned the smile before letting go of Emmett's arm. He started the car and drove off, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. Emmett coughed all the way up the drive to the house. As he got closer, he saw Calvin's mother, Sharon, in the front garden watering her plants. He had briefly met Calvin's parents at the wedding, but they had not been able to stay for long. "Hey, Sharon," he called, waving emphatically.

At the sound of her name, Sharon whipped around and seeing Emmett, gasped, hand over her heart. "Emmett, honey, is that you?" she asked, slipping her glasses on.

"Its me," Emmett confirmed, quickening his pace.

"What on earth are you doing here?" Sharon demanded, laughing as they embraced. "Calvin said you couldn't make it. Something about work?"

"Yeah, I decided to rearrange my appointments so I could surprise Calvin," Emmett lied, waving it off.

"Well I'm glad you could make it, sweetie. I've got supper cooking in the house, shall I set another place at the table?"

"Yes, please." Emmett smiled kindly. "Now, where is my gorgeous husband?" he asked, looking around.

Sharon smiled understandingly. "He's out back chopping wood," she answered.

"Thanks." Emmett shot her another smile before heading around the side of the house, eager to see Calvin. As soon as he laid eyes on Calvin, Emmett froze. Calvin was stripped down to the waist, wearing only a tight pair of shorts. There was a thin sheen of sweat coating his skin and his muscles were taught from exertion. Emmett felt himself stiffening and licked his lips hungrily. He didn't know if it was the sight of his extremely gorgeous husband stripped down to short and covered in sweat, the heat, or back home, but he was suddenly horny as hell. Maybe there was enough time before supper for a little fun in the bushes?

Calvin wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to face Emmett. He did a double take and dropped the logs he had been carrying to the ground. "You're here," he whispered, his face immediately lighting up with a mega-watt smile.

"I'm here," Emmett replied, throwing his arms around Calvin. He had never been more thankful to see his husband.

"What changed your mind?" Calvin asked, kissing him firmly.

Emmett chewed his lips for a second. He didn't want to upset Calvin by telling him that Ted had convinced him to make the journey. But what else could he say? With a sly smile, he answered, "I missed you."

"I missed you, too!" Calvin kissed him again and held him tight. Emmett breathed in the smell of Calvin's sweat and practically swooned.

"I'm horny," he whispered, nibbling on Calvin's ear.

"You are?" Calvin played along. "I am, too." He shoved Emmett up against the wall of the house, his kisses growing in intensity. He moved his hand down and started to fumble with Emmett's belt. When he'd undone the belt, Calvin slipped his hand into the front of Emmett's pants and grabbed his hard cock, gently squeezing it with his calloused hand.

"Wait," Emmett whispered before things got too heated.

"What?" Calvin panted, looking up into Emmett's eyes, his brows knit in confusion. Emmett had told him he was horny, so what could his problem be?

"Won't someone see us out here?" Emmett asked, shooting a suspicious glance over his shoulder.

"Not if we're quick," Calvin replied, dropping to his knees. Emmett gasped as Calvin started to work his magic.

* * *

The next morning, Emmett was up and dressed before the sun had fully risen. He hadn't slept much the night before; tossing and turning all night. He couldn't get his father out of his head. Now that he had come back to the place he had vowed never to return to, what could it hurt to stop by and see his father? Even if his father pushed him away again, at least he could say that he had tried. Holding grudges wasn't in Emmett's nature and he wanted nothing more than to work things out with his dad. He didn't want to have any regrets when he was standing at his father's grave.

Calvin stirred and smiled up at Emmett. "You're dressed already?" he asked. "Usually you're still asleep."

"I've been up thinking," Emmett confessed, wringing his hands. Being back in Hazelhurst was stirring up memories that he had thought long buried.

"About?" Calvin prompted, pulling on his jeans.

At the sight of Calvin's naked torso, Emmett's thought shot back to the day before when they'd fucked up against the side of the house. It had been the hottest sex that Emmett had ever had in his entire life. _Probably because you knew you could get caught,_ he thought.

"My father," he answered finally.

"Your father?" Calvin repeated disbelievingly. Emmett had never told him the whole story about what had transpired between him and his father, but he had hinted that things had ended on less than stellar terms.

"He's sick," Emmett continued, frowning.

"How sick?" Calvin went to stand next to Emmett, taking his hand.

"I don't know. Supposedly not deathly ill or anything, but still...It got me thinking about the fact that he's old. Something bad could happen to him and I would never get to tell him that I love him one last time."

Calvin wrapped his arms around Emmett and kissed him softly. "Don't think like that," he whispered. "You'll only get yourself upset."

"That's the point," Emmett said. "I don't want to have to worry about stuff like that."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to see him," Emmett declared, setting his chin determinedly. "Right now."

"I'll come with you," Calvin grabbed a clean shirt out of his back and put it on.

"Thanks. I don't want to have to go through this by myself."

"You won't ever have to go through anything alone ever again. I promise."

They quietly slipped out of the house, not wanting to wake Calvin's parents. "I'm going to have to call a cab," Emmett said, pulling out his cell phone.

"Don't bother. I have a car," Calvin replied, dangling a set of car keys in front of Emmett. He pointed to an old, beat up red truck.

"That's your car?" Emmett asked, arching his eyebrow skeptically. The truck looked like it should have been taken to a junkyard and used for scrap parts decades ago.

"It was my first car," Calvin explained. "I saved up for a whole summer to buy it."

"You should get your money back," Emmett muttered, climbing up into the passenger seat.

After a few failed attempts, the engine turned over and they were on the road. "You're going to have to tell me where to go," Calvin said.

"If I even remember." Emmett remembered exactly how to get to the Honeycutt farm, it was just one of those things he never forgot no matter how hard he wanted to. Calvin reached over and clasped his hand, kissing it lightly. Emmett's lips tugged into a tight smile as his stomach knotted up.

As the familiar shape of the Honeycutt farm loomed above them, Emmett remembered all the summers that he and his six brothers and sisters had spent growing up running around the yard, desperate to get out of the confined space of the too small house. After having to live in a tent for a year thans to a tornado, they' madanged to scrounge enough money together to buy the farm. They'd lived in it practically all of Emmett's young life. Calvin parked the truck and glanced over at Emmett. "Wait here," Emmett said, opening his door. "I'll come get you when I'm ready." Calvin nodded his assent and watched as Emmett slowly made his way up to the front screened in porch. He stepped in and halted outside the door, collecting his breath. Gingerly, he tapped lightly on the wooden frame, looking through the glass partition to see if his dad was around. He saw a shape moving in the house and started to panic, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

Thomas Honeycutt yanked the door open and started. The last person he had ever expected to see on his doorstep was his disgraced son, Emmett. Not after what had happened the last time he'd been there. "Emmett," he said by way of greeting when he had finally regained his composure.

"Hi, Daddy," Emmett replied, his lips tugging into a sad smile. "I heard about what happened. I wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine, thanks." Thomas opened the door wider. Emmett stepped into the house and followed his father into the living room. "So, what are you doing here?" Thomas asked casually. "In Hazelhurst, I mean. Last I heard, you were living in Pittsburgh."

"Yeah, I am," Emmett answered. "I got married...well, as close to married as the government will allow me to be. My husband Calvin is actually from here, we went to school together. Anyway, he came to see his parents and I came along, too."

"I see." Thomas reached into the fridge and pulled out a beer. "You want one?" he asked, holding one out to Emmett.

"Thanks." Emmett opened the beer and took a deep swig. He needed all the help he could get.

An awkward silence filled the air as Thomas opened his beer and sat down at the table. Emmett remained in the doorway, looking around to see if anything had changed since he had last been there. "So, you got married," Thomas said finally. "Good for you."

"Good for me?" Emmett nearly dropped his beer bottle. "You're being sarcastic, aren't you?" he challenged, shaking his head. _I should have known,_ he thought.

"I'm serious," Thomas said, looking at his son. "I'm glad that you found someone."

"And when exactly did you change your tune?" Emmett asked, his tone icy.

"Look, Emmett, I may have overreacted a little..."

"Overreacted a little!" Emmett cut him off. "Kicking me out of the house and telling me never to come back until I 'stopped being a disgusting faggot' is more than overreacting a little!" He was shouting now, unleashing all the pent up anger he'd carried with him for the last nineteen years.

Thomas lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry," he muttered. His lower lip quivered.

"What?" Emmett asked snidely, "I couldn't hear you." He put a hand near his ear.

"I said, I'm sorry," Thomas repeated, louder. He looked up and Emmett could see the tears in his eyes. Immediately his anger evaporated, the wall of hate collapsed. "You didn't deserve to be treated like you were, and I know that there's no excuse for it. All I can do is tell you that I am sorry. I have regretted what happened every day since you left."

Emmett felt the hot sting of tears and tried to blink them away. "Why didn't you say something sooner?" he asked. "You could have called or written. Do you know how many cards I've sent here sine I left?"

"I do," Thomas replied, clenching his jaw.

"Then why didn't you ever send me one back!" Emmett demanded.

"I thought you hated me," Thomas confessed, crying for real now. "I didn't want to cause you anymore pain than I already had. I figured that you were better off without me bringing you down."

"I did hate you," Emmett said, his voice cracking. "I've hated you every second of the last nineteen years. For turning your back on me, for making me feel bad about myself, and mostly for letting me down. I needed your love more than anything."

Thomas rose from his chair and embraced his son for the first time in what felt like eons. Emmett sobbed into his chest, his body shaking. "I know," Thomas soothed. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry, too," Emmett whispered. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about. You are who you are. God made you that way. It would be wrong for me or anyone to mistreat just because you're different." He kissed Emmett's cheek softly and stroked his hair. Thomas had thought that he would never see his son again, and now, through the grace of God, he had been given a chance to atone for his past mistakes and be a good, loving father. He planned on taking advantage of it.

They sobbed for a long while, clinging desperately to each other. At last, Emmett pulled away. His eyes were puffy and red from crying and he noticed that his father's were, too. _I guess we have more in common than I thought._ Smiling, he took his dad's hand. "Where are we going?" Thomas asked, struggling to keep up with his son's long legged strides.

"There's somebody I want you to meet," Emmett replied, pulling Thomas out the door and down the steps. Thomas noticed an old red truck parked under the willow tree by the shed.

Calvin saw Emmett and a man that could have been Emmett's much older twin walking toward him. He got out of the car and saw the smile on Emmett's face, immediately feeling a warm, glowing sensation in his chest. _They've patched things up._ Emmett stopped and took Calvin's hand in his. "Daddy, this is Calvin, my husband."

"Nice to meet you," Calvin said, extending his hand. Thomas smiled and shook it.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **While in Toronto, Brian decides to stay the night. Mel and Linz make a shocking decision.


	68. Mel and Linz's Gift

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **As summer drew to a close, Brian and Justin spent one last night with Gus at Britin Manor before Brian and Gus headed back to Toronto.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Seven

Laying eyes on Lindsay and Melanie, Brian scowled. They were standing in the airport, grinning like idiots. _What the fuck are they so happy about?_ he wondered, his scowl deepening. As he and Gus had gotten closer to Canada, he had gotten angrier and angrier. By the time they had landed, he was about ready to boil over. If Justin had been with him, maybe he wouldn't have been so upset, but there was no changing that now. "Mommy!" Gus cried, letting go of Brian's hand and rushing toward Lindsay, who scooped him up and held him closely.

"Hey, Gus!" Lindsay exclaimed. She wasn't able to hide the tears falling from her eyes.

"How are you, big boy?" Melanie asked, joining in the hug.

Seeing how glad Lindsay and Melanie were to see Gus eased Brian's temper a little. If he had kept Gus with him, it would have hurt Lindsay, and he didn't want that. As much as it pained him to admit, he didn't want that for Melanie either. "Don't you look chipper," Melanie remarked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Melanie." Brian arched his eyebrow. "It's a pleasure, as always."

"Play nice," Lindsay warned, shooting Brian a warning look. "I don't want to have to listen to you to bickering all night."

"We're not bickering," Brian insisted. "We're just..." He scoured his brain for something, but he was too upset to think clearly.

"Saying hello?" Mel suggested, smiling wryly.

"Exactly." Brian forced himself to smile. "Now can we get the fuck out of here?"

Mel and Linz led the way to the car. While Lindsay got Gus strapped into his car seat, Brian loaded the trunk with all of Gus's stuff. "Jesus Christ!" Melanie exclaimed, looking at the abundance of bags. They all belonged to Gus; Brian hadn't brought anything with him since he was going back home that night. "How much shit did you buy him?"

"Enough," Brian answered simply. He was not in the mood for a lecture from Dyno Dyke about the bad effects of spoiling children. Melanie let the subject drop and got into the driver's seat. Brian squished himself in the back with Gus and JR. _This is going to be a fun ride_, he thought sourly.

Brian was never more thankful to get out of a car than he was when they got to Melanie and Lindsay's house. His legs were stiff from the cramped back seat and as he got out, he heard his joints popping. "Ooh, you're getting old," Melanie teased.

"Ha ha," Brian grumbled. "Is that a mustache I see on your top lip?" He grinned wickedly, reveling in his wit.

"What do you mean?" Lindsay asked, confused. _Ah, virginal Lindsay_.

"They say that eating pussy can lead to an excess of facial hair," Brian explained, grinning.

"I can see you're as...colorful as always," Lindsay said under her breath. "Hopefully Gus hasn't picked up any new phrases from his old man."

"Did you expect him to change?" Melanie retorted, opening the trunk. She passed as many bags as she could off on Brian. "You bought it, you can carry it," she explained.

"So, what do you think?" Lindsay inquired. She nodded toward the house.

"Not bad," Brian answered, scanning the brick walls. "It's very lesbionic."

"That's just the look we were going for," Lindsay joked.

It was already five o'clock by the time the car was unpacked. Brian would stay for dinner and then take a cab to the airport. He'd be home in time to climb in bed with Justin. It was going to kill him to leave Gus behind. Who knew when he'd see him again?

Gus brought Brian up to his room to show it off. "Look, Daddy!" he said, holding out a picture of Brian and Justin.

"That's nice," Brian said smiling tightly. "Daddy and Justin are here to keep you safe at night." He picked Gus up and sat him on his lap, stroking his hair lovingly. The smile vanished from his face and was replaced with a tightness in his throat.

Unbeknownst to Brian, Mel and Linz watched from the doorway. Seeing how upset he was, the girls stepped away from the door. "It's tearing him up," Lindsay noted, feeling sympathetic toward her best friend. She knew what it was like to leave her child behind. It was devastating.

"He looks like he's going to cry," Melanie replied, furrowing her brows. The only time she'd seen Brian cry was at his wedding. And that had been shocking enough.

"Do you think we should…invite to stay for the night?"

"To spend more time with his son?" Mel arched an eyebrow.

"Maybe it'll ease his pain a little." Lindsay's eyes were pleading.

"He was nice enough to let us stay with him in his mansion. The least we can do is return the favor."

They discussed it with Brian. He would be staying with Gus in his room. Thankfully the bed was bigger than the one that Gus had back at the manor. Seeing the bed, Brian realized that he missed Justin a lot more than he had realized He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Justin's number. "Is everything okay?" Justin asked when he picked up. Brian noticed that he sounded a little stuffed up.

"Everything's fine. You're not sick, are you?" he asked. Why was Justin always the one getting sick?

"No, it's just my allergies," Justin lied, sniffling. The truth was, he had been crying nonstop since he had parted ways with Brian and Gus at the airport. He was missing both of him boys tremendously and nothing he tried could help ease the pain.

"Did you take anything?" _God, I sound like Jennifer_, he realized, frightened.

"Yeah, I took some of my medication. It just needs to kick in."

"Okay." He sighed, looking around the room.

"So, do you miss me yet?" Justin inquired. He was missing Brian tremendously and hoped that the feeling was mutual.

"More than words can describe," Brian replied, laying back on the bed.

"Things are that bad, huh?" Justin teased.

"Worse. The fucking munchers are driving me crazy. From the minute we stepped off the plane they've been psycho chipper. I feel like slitting my goddamn wrists."

"Don't do that," Justin jokingly pleaded. "You haven't finished cleaning out the stables yet, and I don't want to be stuck doing it. Who knew that horses could shit so much?"

Brian chuckled. "It's good to know that the reason you're so enamored with me is because I'm willing to go clean up horse shit." He was starting to feel better already. Too bad he couldn't keep Justin on the phone all night.

"Don't worry, there are plenty of other reasons," Justin assured him.

"What are you up to?" Brian asked, changing the subject before it got too mushy.

"I'm out by the pool right now smoking a joint."

"Sounds fun."

"It would be better if you were here. How's Gus?"

"Good. He missed Lindsay and Melanie."

"That's understandable."

"Yeah." Brian cleared his throat. "They invited me to stay the night."

"Really?"

"They figured it would give me a little more time with Gus."

"That's great. Don't worry about me, I'll invite Daphne over and we'll have a sleepover or something."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Spend time with your son. I'll be here when you get back. Besides, if Daphne's going to come over, we're going to have a musical marathon."

"Thank God I won't be there for that," Brian muttered.

"What do you guys have planned?"

"Absolutely nothing. Lindsay and Melanie are downstairs cooking dinner and Gus is watching TV. And I'm just sitting in the bedroom, talking to this cute guy I know that I can't wait to fuck."

"Who is he? Should I be jealous?" Justin joked.

"I don't know his name, but he's very sexy. He's got short blonde hair, about five eight, bright blue eyes. I hear he's going to be a famous artist. He mentioned something about having his own exhibit in New York."

"Sounds like a dream," Justin continued. "You have my permission to give him a good fucking."

"Oh I will, as soon as I get home." Brian already had a huge boner, but didn't feel right masturbating in Gus's bedroom. "Somehow, I'll just have to make it through the night."

Justin laughed. "I have faith in you." The phone beeped. "Shit, that's my other line. Can I call you back later?"

"You don't have to, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon."

"I'll call you back," Justin said with finality. "I love you."

"Love you." Brian disconnected and stared up at the ceiling with a faint smile. He stayed in the bed for awhile, reveling in Justin's love. Up until the past year, he had never really realized just how much he had come to depend on the kid. It made his relationship with Michael look inconsequential.

Glancing over at the clock, Brian got out of bed. It was going on six and his time with Gus was growing nearer to an end. He called the airport and booked a return flight to Pittsburgh the next morning at eleven and before he knew it, Gus would be getting ready for bed; Mel and Linds didn't let him stay up past nine. Brian went down the stairs and sat next to Gus on the couch. He reached out and pulled Gus closer to him so that the boy's head was rested on his chest.

Lindsay came into the room and sat down in the chair next the couch. She looked over at Brian and Gus and smiled. "He had a great time with you," she said.

"How can you tell?" Brian asked, taking his eyes off the TV. He wasn't really watching it, but was enjoying the closeness with Gus.

"I haven't seen him this happy since before we left," Linds admitted. "There's this light in his eye that I thought I'd never see again." She started to tear up.

"Come on, Linz," Brian warned, giving her a stern look. "No crying."

"You're right, sorry." She wiped the tears away and laughed. "He loves spending time with you."

"I love spending time with him," Brian said simply.

Lindsay chewed her lip for a second. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about the whole visitation thing."

"Oh?" Brian arched an eyebrow. He knew that Lindsay would never deny him visitation rights with Gus.

"I think it might be a good idea if he got to see you more often," she broached.

"Really?" Brian immediately perked up. Well, his version of perk, anyway.

"Yeah. I was thinking maybe you could take him every other weekend."

"That would be nice." Brian smiled warmly. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, Gus?"

"Uh huh." Gus wasn't paying any attention to what they were saying; he was too transfixed by the TV.

"Justin would like it, too," Brian continued. "He loved having Gus with us as much as I did."

"Good." Lindsay smiled warmly. "I have to talk it over with Mel, but I'm sure she'll be okay with it."

"Thanks." Brian didn't know what else to say. A myriad of emotions surged through his body, something he was unfamiliar with.

"You're his father, Brian. He needs you." Lindsay stood up and headed back into the kitchen. "Dinner is almost ready," she called over her shoulder.

Dinner was uneventful. They all ate in silence, their thoughts scattered in a million different directions. Melanie and Lindsay cleaned up while Brian took Gus up to bed. He climbed into the bed next to Gus and held him, glad that if things went as planned, this would not be the last time he held his son for who knew how long. When Gus's breathing became rhythmic, Brian gently got out of the bed and went downstairs. Melanie was standing by the doorway. "I'm going to the bar around the corner for a drink, want to come?" she asked.

"The one that Emmett says is like Woody's but isn't?" Brian joked, chuckling.

"That's the one." Mel couldn't resist a smile.

"Sure."

Emmett had been right: the bar was like Woody's, but somehow wasn't. Brian and Melanie sat down at a table in the corner and ordered a drink. "So Lindsay doesn't mind you sneaking off for a beer?" Brian asked, taking a swig of his drink.

"Nope. It's her night to put JR to bed," Melanie replied. "She was feeling a little left out, so we made a schedule. We alternate each night, that way we both get an opportunity to have a night off."

"Fascinating." Brian rolled his eyes.

"You say that now, but wait until your little one comes along. You'll want to spend time with her and Justin will want an opportunity to relax once in a while."

"Maybe." Brian thought about that. Before long, the newest addition to their household would be there and everything would change. When Justin had shared Jennifer's warning about the ways that a new baby can change a relationship, Brian had waved them off. Nothing like that would ever happen to them, he'd insisted. He knew that the reason that Lindsay and Melanie had broken up after Gus was born was that Lindsay had been giving all of her attention to Gus and Melanie had gotten jealous, which led to her cheating. He wouldn't let that happen. He couldn't lose Justin again, not after all that they had been through.

"Lindsay talked to me about you getting Gus every other weekend." Melanie's voice broke through Brian's thoughts. She leaned back in her chair.

"And let me guess, you don't approve?" Brian set his jaw, preparing for another argument with Melanie. Why did she always have to be such a cunt?

"Actually, I think it's a good idea." Brian's beer bottle froze half way to his lips. "Look, I know that I can be a bitch," Mel said smiling wryly. "But you are Gus's father. I may not have liked it at first, but you and I have both changed a lot since Gus was born. We've reached an understanding."

"Wow, Mel, I must be in the Twilight Zone or something," Brian said sarcastically. "You're not acting like yourself."

"He loves you, Brian. You should see what how much happier he is when he's around you. I couldn't deny him that. Gus is my son, too and I couldn't stand to do that to him."

For the first time in his life, Brian felt a sense of affection for Melanie. _Hell just froze over_, he thought with a sour smile. "I appreciate it," he forced himself to say. "Gus means the world to me. He and Justin are the two most important things in my life."

"I thought your dick was the most important thing in your life?"

"And what's most important to you, Lindsay's snatch?" Brian shot back.

They burst out laughing. "I guess that this means we'll be seeing a lot more of each other," Mel commented dryly.

"And here I thought I'd finally gotten rid of you crazy lesbians." They shared a smile.

"Nah, you're stuck with us."

"Just as long as you don't turn my son straight, we're okay."

"I doubt there's any chance of that happening."

"Thank God. To being queer." Brian clinked is beer bottle with Melanie's. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

The next morning, Brian was in a better mood than he would have believed possible. Even though Gus was staying with Melanie and Lindsay, he would be back in Brian's care in two weeks. Smiling down at Gus, Brian checked the time on his phone. It was ten in the morning and his flight was in an hour. There was missed call from Justin. _He must have called while Melanie and I were at the bar_, Brian figured. He had left his phone at the house instead of taking it with him.

He took a quick shower and by the time he was done, Gus was up. "Hey," Brian said, tousling Gus's hair. Gus didn't smile. Tears sprung to his eyes and Brian felt his heart break. _Just when I was starting to feel better about leaving, too._ "What's wrong?" he asked, hugging his son.

"I don't want you to leave," Gus cried, his body quaking.

"Don't worry," Brian whispered, stroking Gus's hair. "It's only until next weekend." They hadn't told Gus yet about the new situation. "Your moms and I talked last night and we agreed that you can come and stay with Justin and I every other weekend."

"I can?" Gus immediately cheered up, a smile brightening his face.

"Yes, you can. You also get to come and stay with me for every holiday, too. So we're going to see each other all the time."

"I love you, Daddy." Gus buried his face in Brian's chest.

"I love you too, Gus." His voice cracked with emotion. _God, I'm turning into a fucking wimp_, he thought, swiping at his eyes.

Melanie and Lindsay came out of their bedroom and stopped when they saw Brian and Gus in the hallway. "Is everything okay?" Lindsay asked, her brow creased with concern.

"Everything's fine," Brian assured her.

"How long until your flight?" Melanie asked, rocking JR in her arms.

"What, are you trying to get rid of me?" Brian teased.

"How ever did you guess? Actually, I was going to say that if we have long enough for me to take a shower, I'll drive you."

"I'll just call a cab," Brian replied. "It's not a big deal."

"I'm driving you," Mel said with finality. Brian didn't dare argue with her. She passed Jenny Rebecca to Lindsay and disappeared back into the bedroom.

While Melanie showered, Brian sat with Gus and Lindsay at the dinner table. Lindsay had made breakfast, but Brian wasn't hungry. "You and Mel are awfully chummy," Linds said casually.

"Are we? I hadn't noticed."

"I think its great that you two finally buried the hatchet."

"What hatchet? The only reason Melanie and I have never gotten along is because we didn't see eye to eye on anything." Brian shrugged.

"And now you do?" Lindsay queried.

"On a few things."

"I never thought I'd live to see the day." She chuckled. "I guess married life suits you after all."

"It does." Brian smiled and checked the time. He and Mel had to get going soon.

Thankfully, Melanie came down the stairs a few minutes later. "Ready to go?" she asked, slinging her purse over her shoulder. Brian didn't reply, but rose from his chair and turned toward Gus.

"I'll see you next weekend," he said, kissing the top of Gus's head.

"Bye, Daddy," Gus replied, his eyes full of tears. Brian felt guilty for leaving, but forced himself to turn around.

"It was nice seeing you," Lindsay said, hugging him. "Give our love to Justin, will you?"

"Yeah." Brian held Lindsay for a second, staring at the wall past her shoulder.

"We have to go," Melanie said gently. "You're going to miss your flight."

"Okay." Brian smiled grimly at Lindsay and turned to see Gus one last time. The boy was staring wide eyed at Brian, his bottom lip quivering. "I love you, son," Brian said, his voice breaking. Gus tried to answer, but he was crying so hard that his he couldn't speak.

Brian clenched his jaw and followed Melanie out to the car. "Are you okay?" Melanie asked, rubbing Brian's shoulder comfortingly.

"I'll be fine," he replied, getting in the car. He was not about to cry in front of Melanie, no matter how much they had bonded.

"He'll be okay," Mel assured him. "The first time is always the hardest. It will get easier."

"It better. I don't know if I can go through this every other weekend."

"Gus just needs time to adjust. He's a lot like you, he's strong." Brian laughed.

Before long, Melanie pulled into the airport parking lot. "This is it," she said, turning to look at Brian.

"I guess it is." Brian sighed and looked out of the window for a second, watching the crowd of people walking into the airport. "Well, thanks for the lift." He forced his lips into a tight smile and held his hand out. Mel shook it and started the car.

"See you," she said. As soon as Brian was out of the car, Melanie was gone. He watched the car recede into traffic before turning back to the airport. In less than an hour he would be back in Pittsburgh, back with Justin. But he couldn't help feel like he was leaving a bit of himself behind. Taking a deep breath, he forced his legs to start moving. There was no going back.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Justin tries to help Brian work through his pain. Brian copes the only way he knows how.


	69. Coping the Brian Kinney Way

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian took Gus back home.

Mel and Linz decided to let Gus go with Brian and Justin every other weekend.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Eight

Brian didn't say much when Justin picked him up from the airport. He had just gotten into the car and turned to stare out the window, not even acknowledging Justin's presence. Justin could tell that he was upset, but didn't want to push. He decided that it was best to give Brian some time before he interjected.

Brian continued to stare out the window, his eyes glazed over. _Poor Brian_, Justin thought sadly. He could only imagine that things had been even harder on Brian that he had expected them to be. He wanted to reach out to comfort him, but he wasn't entirely sure of what he could say to make the pain lessen. He wasn't even sure if there was anything he could say, and the last thing he wanted to do was make things worse.

Justin had missed Brian so much in the short time that he had been away. Even when Daphne had come over for their get together, he couldn't get his mind off of Brian. Poor Daphne had had to listen to a constant rambling about him. When he had gone upstairs to sleep, Justin had found that he couldn't. He kept reaching over to Brian's side of the bed and every time he felt nothing but the sheets, his heart had sunk. Brian had told him that he was unable to sleep without him in bed, which explained why there were such dark circles under his eyes. The guy looked like hell, which for Brian was an accomplish seeing as he always looked hot in any light.

By the time they were back in West Virginia, Brian had stopped staring out the window, though he still looked like someone had died. "I missed you," Justin said, unable to take the nerve wracking silence anymore.

"I missed you, too," Brian replied, his voice breaking. "I'm sorry I missed your call last night."

"Don't be. I'm sure you were spending time with Gus. I understand."

"I was at the bar with Melanie," Brian confessed.

"With Melanie!" Justin glanced over at Brian quickly. Brian and Melanie didn't get along well enough to go out for drinks together.

"Melanie and I have put our differences aside."

"That's good. I was always afraid she'd beat the shit out of you one day." Brian's lips tugged into a smile. _Mission accomplished,_ Justin thought gladly. If he could get Brian to smile, then he knew that Brian would soon be back to normal.

"Lindsay and Melanie talked some things over."

"What things?" His heart began to race in his chest.

"Our visitation rights with Gus."

Justin felt his stomach sink. They hadn't decided to take Gus away from Brian permanently, had they? No wonder he was so upset. "I'm sorry," he said, not knowing what else to say.

"There is nothing to be sorry about," Brian replied. "We're getting him every other weekend starting next week."

"What?" Justin pulled over onto the side of the road even though they were close to home. He couldn't drive and concentrate on what Brian was saying at the same time. Especially considering that what Brian was saying was so important.

"We're getting him every other weekend," Brian repeated.

"That's great!" Justin threw his arms around Brian excitedly. "I'm so glad. I was afraid they'd decided to take him away."

"No." He chewed his lip, his teeth biting in so hard that the skin turned white. Any harder and he would have pierced the skin. "Lindsay said that we could have him for all the holidays, too."

"Then why are you so upset?" Justin maneuvered in his seat so that he and Brian were facing each other. There had to be something bad or Brian would be perfectly happy.

Brian sighed deeply before answering. "I was fine until it came time for me to leave. Gus fell apart and..." He trailed off and turned his head away again. "Never mind."

Justin hesitated for a second. Brian was shutting him out. After everything they'd been through. But it wasn't his fault. Brian wasn't the most emotionally open person in the world, but he had at least made an effort. Fighting back tears, Justin reached out and took Brian into his arms, pulling him close to his chest. "Don't shut me out," he whispered, pleading. "We've been through too much."

Brian let that sink in and allowed himself to be comforted by Justin. The only other person to see him so upset was Michael, but Michael would not be able to comfort him this time. Only Justin could.

They stayed in an embrace for a long time. Brian inhaled Justin's scent and let its tantalizing smell calm him. Like Melanie had said, the first time was always the hardest. After a few more trips, Gus wouldn't be so upset when he went back home; at least Brian hoped he wouldn't. As he continued to breath in Justin's scent, he felt his cock hardening and couldn't help but smile. _Even in a time of sadness, I sill find a way to be horny,_ he thought amusedly. "Let's go home," he whispered, his voice dripping with lust.

"Okay." Justin started the Jeep and pulled back onto the road.

Not long after, they were back home. Brian jumped out of the car and hurried up to the door. "Come on," he said, reaching out for Justin's hand. Justin let himself be led up the stairs and into the bedroom. Brian kissed him hungrily, hands roaming all over Justin's body. It felt so good that he scrambled to remember why he had a feeling that what they were doing was inappropriate. "Wait," he whispered, his memory coming back.

"What?" Brian asked, pausing.

"Is this really what you want?"

"You're kidding, right?"

"I know that you're upset about Gus and I don't want to make things worse."

"You couldn't," Brian insisted, pressing his lips against Justin's once more. "You're the only thing that can make it better."

The kissing was so fiery and passionate that both Brian and Justin were sweating within a few minutes. Brian quickly stripped naked, barely containing himself. He wanted Justin and he wanted him now. Justin slowly removed his clothes, aware that Brian was watching him like a hunter watches its prey. Before he had finished pulling his shirt over his head, Brian threw him down on the bed and jumped on top of him. The kissing continued and Justin's hands began to explore Brian's body even as Brian's hands explored his own.

Brian couldn't hold back any longer. He rolled a condom on as Justin applied lube, and eagerly slipped in. Immediately, he began to feel better. Gus and the events of only a few hours before fled from his mind as pleasure took reign. He moved his hips slowly, mindful to draw out the act as long as possible. A small moan escaped Justin's lips as he held on to Brian's back as if his life depended on it. It wasn't until Brian was in him that he realized just how much he had needed this as well. The short time that he had spent away from Brian had been too much and the only way to remedy the situation was to feel Brian inside him.

They switched positions so that Justin was on top. He moved his hips rhythmically, reveling in the pleasurable sensations screaming within his nerve ends. He never felt more alive than when he and Brian were making love. Brian grasped his waist, his fingers digging into the skin. As Justin quickened his pace, he felt the pleasure maximizing, nearing its end. He continued to move faster and faster until his body shuddered, ringing in his climax. Brian threw back his head and groaned loudly.

Before Justin could get down from his perch, Brian quickly put on a new condom and began again. Justin was pleasantly surprised. With Gus staying over, they hadn't done a marathon fuck in a few months at least and though he wouldn't have pushed for it, he had missed it. He never knew how many times they would fuck in a row and the lack of knowledge excited him, making him want it even more. Brian kneeled on the edge of the bed and put Justin's legs up on his shoulders, taking hold of his inner thighs. Justin looked deeply into Brian's dark eyes, losing himself within them.

Brian continued to pump away and they lost themselves in the heat of the moment. What felt like seconds later but must have been hours later, they both groaned one final time and fell back into the bed, drenched in sweat. Brian's heart raced in his chest and he could barely catch his breath. Looking over at Justin, he smiled. Nobody else could match his sexual prowess like Justin could, sometimes it amazed even him. "That was amazing," he managed, panting.

"It was more than amazing," Justin replied. "It was mind blowing."

"I don't think I've ever cum that hard before in my life. Or that many times. I lost count after seven."

"Me, too." They chuckled at their own brashness. "So, do you feel better now?" Justin asked jokingly.

"Much better," Brian confirmed, slipping his arm behind Justin's neck and rolling over so that he was practically on top of him. "Thanks. You don't know how badly I needed that."

"It was my pleasure."

"I love you so much," Brian whispered into Justin's ear, not even aware of what he was saying anymore. "I fucking love you." He bit Justin's ear and tickled it with his tongue. Apparently he was still pumped up.

"You fucking love me? That's a new one," Justin joked, earning himself a playful slap from Brian. "I fucking love you, too."

Brian rested his head on Justin's chest. "I'm so exhausted," he admitted.

"You didn't sleep last night?" Justin guessed.

"I couldn't. I'm so used to having you in bed with me that when you aren't, I can't sleep."

"I couldn't sleep, either. I missed having your arms around me. Keeping me warm and safe."

"Like this?" Brian entangled Justin in a loose embrace. Justin nestled in.

"Just like that." Justin kissed Brian and grinned down at him.

Brian got comfortable and before long, his eyes grew heavy. Because it had been so long since he and Justin had had sex so vigorously and he hadn't slept the night before, he was absolutely whooped. Within a few seconds, he was unconscious. Justin stroked Brian's hair lovingly as he closed his eyes. He was suddenly exhausted, too, but at the same time he was antsy. His mind was running in a million different directions and no matter how hard he tried to quiet his thoughts, he couldn't. Justin would have gotten out of bed and went downstairs to work on a painting, but didn't want to wake Brian. Instead, he lay still, letting his mind wander aimlessly.

His life was changing so much. In six months' time, their daughter would be born and that would change everything, whether he wanted it to or not. When Jennifer had warned him about the pressures of a new baby, she had really gotten him thinking. He had seen how Melanie and Lindsay's relationship had drastically changed after Gus was born and was determined not to let that happened to him and Brian. Luckily, they had enough time that they could talk things over before things were irrevocably altered. And the baby wasn't the only change headed their way.

Melanie and Lindsay had decided to let Gus come and stay every other weekend. That meant that when the baby came, Gus would have more of an opportunity to get to know his new baby sister and hopefully would help quell any feelings of resentment that might be festering. Even though Gus had been all right with the knowledge that a new baby was on the way, Justin knew from personal experience that the resentment didn't always set in right away.

When Justin had first found out that his mother was having a baby, he'd been excited. He had always wanted a little brother or sister to play with and had been so grateful when he'd finally gotten one. It wasn't until he was older that Molly began to drive him nuts and he wanted nothing more than for her to disappear off the face of the planet never to return again. Of course, things were different now, but wanted to avoid that at all costs, for the sake of his sanity and Brian's. He wanted Gus and the new baby to get along, though if the baby was anything like his sister Molly had been, the chances were slim. But no matter what, they were going to be a happy family.

As he continued to lie in bed, Justin began to feel his thoughts scattering. His eyelids started to droop and he suddenly couldn't stay awake for the life of him. Relinquishing himself to sleep, he nuzzled the top of Brian's chin with the top of his head and drifted off, safe in Brian's arms.

* * *

The next morning, Brian woke up alone. After the marathon fucking with Justin, he had slept for the rest of the day and all through the night. Half awake, he had rolled over onto his side and reached out for Justin, only to feel thin air. Justin didn't usually get up before him, not unless he had somewhere to be, but he hadn't mentioned anything. So where was he?

Brian stumbled out of bed. More than anything, he wanted a nice hot shower, but he had to know where Justin was first. If he didn't, he would go out of his mind wondering. He quickly threw on a clean pair of jeans and stepped out into hallway, listening intently for any sign. As he passed the nursery, he heard a soft humming sound from within. Rolling his eyes, Brian quietly opened the door and peered inside. Justin was sitting on the floor surrounded by the disassembled pieces of a crib. "This one goes...here," he muttered, looking between the instruction manual and the pieces. "Then, why doesn't it fit!"

"Need any help?" Brian asked, chuckling

Justin started and smiled. "You're up," he said, standing.

"About time," Brian agreed, stretching. "I don't think I've gotten that much sleep in years."

"You needed it." Justin ran a hand through his hair. "I woke up and decided it was time to put the crib together."

"Six months early?"

"Those six months will fly right by. This way, we'll be ready for when the baby comes," Justin explained. "There's still a lot to do before she gets here."

"Like what?" Brian joined Justin amidst the scattered pieces. He put his arms around him and kissed the back of his neck sensually.

"Uh..." Justin's mind began to trail off. "We still need baby monitors and bottles."

"What else?" Brian began to massage Justin's shoulders, working out the tension within the muscles.

"Mmmm. A car seat, a stroller, pacifiers, baby blankets and clothes..." His eyes began to roll back into his head. Brian's touch was electrifying; the hair on his arms and the back of his neck stood to attention.

"We can get all that," Brian whispered, his breath hot on the back of Justin's neck.

"What about the crib?" Justin protested half-heartedly.

"I'll put it together later. Right now, I have something else in mind."

Justin shoved the pieces of the crib that lay behind him out of the way as Brian pushed him back onto the carpet. He wiggled out of his pants and stared up at Brian pleadingly. He wanted it badly, even though they'd made love numerous times the day before. It was like a drug. Brian pulled his jeans down so they hung around his ankles and entered Justin, savoring the sensation. He had never felt anything more pleasurable than sex, especially when it was with Justin.

The one thing that always surprised Brian was that the sex never got boring. They hadn't fallen into a routine. They did it any way and as many times as possible. It also helped that both he and Justin had imagination when it came to sex and they always found ways to make it new and exciting. He figured that he never would tire of it.

The sex was mind blowing and afterward, they lay panting on the carpet. "I could wake up to that every morning," Brian said, laughing.

"Then, why don't you?" Justin asked, propping his head up on his hand.

"You're usually still sleeping when I get up and if you are up, we don't have time."

"I can get up earlier," Justin suggested, his eyes twinkling. "For that anyway." He sat up to put his pants back on.

"We should've laid a blanket down," Brian commented, looking at the rug burns on Justin's back. They looked painful.

"That would have been a good idea," Justin agreed, wincing as he pulled his shirt down over the burns. "But we'll remember next time."

"Next time?" Brian shot Justin a quizzical look.

"Well we are going to be spending a lot more time in here in the next few months and I don't know if I can make it back to the bedroom." He grinned mischievously. "Of course, we could always rip up the carpet and put hardwood down."

Brian pulled his pants up and leaned back against the wall. He was all fucked out for awhile but didn't want to admit it to Justin. Instead, he changed the subject. "So, when do you start school?"

"Ugh, you had to bring that up didn't you?" Justin asked, scrunching his face up in disgust.

"You know me, I love to watch you squirm."

"Tomorrow," Justin replied, ignoring Brian's comment. "Bright and early."

"But your classes are only in the morning, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Now that you're done with your internship, you can start work. You can start tomorrow afternoon if you want."

"Really?"

"Really.

Justin felt a weight lifted off of his shoulders. He hadn't been making much money through the internship program and his textbooks and supplies had pretty much cleaned out what he had managed to save up from the diner. Brian had gallantly offered to help pay, but Justin had insisted that he do it himself. The money left over from the art show was safely tucked away, only to be used in case on an emergency. Jackson had promised that more money was to be had, but not until after the exhibit was set up, which was taking a little longer than planned. "My last class is at eleven," Justin said. "After that, I can come by the office and get to work."

"I'll pick you up, then," Brian replied. "Unless you want to drive yourself from now on."

"I haven't given it much thought, but I'd just assumed that we would still ride together since we're both going to Pittsburgh."

"Good, I was worried that you'd decided to abandon me for your new Jeep."

"Never," Justin promised, sitting down next to Brian and clasping his hand.

Brian grinned. "The drive can get pretty lonely if you don't have someone in the car with you," he continued.

"The only reason you want me to come with you is because you like getting road head," Justin teased. "Don't think that I don't know how you work by now."

"I'll admit that that's part of the reason, but I would miss you." All humor had left his voice.

"I'd miss you, too." He leaned in and kissed Brian softly, careful not to arouse him again. "I promise to give you lots of blowjobs if you do me a favor."

"What?" Brian eyed him questioningly.

"Instead of fucking my brains out again, can we just talk about what's bothering you? It isn't healthy to bury your emotions."

Brian scoffed. "What are you, a psychologist?"

"Please?" Justin shot him that heart melting smile.

"Fine." Brian sighed. He'd never really done the whole open emotions thing, but maybe with Justin it wouldn't be so bad. "I miss him. I'd gotten so used to having him here and now..." he shook his head, "it feels like my heart's been ripped out of my chest. I've only felt like this a few other times: the night you were bashed, when you left me for Ethan, and when you moved away to New York. I hate feeling like this. It''s...pathetic."

"And?"

"And...I'm glad I've got you here with me. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"There? Don't you feel better?"

"Not really."

"Give it time." Justin laughed. "Now, let's get this crib put together."

"This had better not take all day."

"It won't," Justin promised. "I just can't figure out why the pieces don't match up."

"Let me take a look." Brian looked at the instruction manual and rolled his eyes.

"What?" Justin asked, his interest piqued.

"It's upside down," he said, erupting into laughter. Justin couldn't help but laugh, too.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Ted worries when he doesn't hear back from Emmett. Meanwhile in Hazelhurst, Emmett says goodbye to his father.


	70. Father's Advice

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Against his better judgment, Emmett returned home to Hazelhurst and visited his sick father. After nineteen years of not speaking, they made up and Thomas Honeycutt accepted Calvin as his son.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Nine

Ted was getting worried. He hadn't heard from Emmett in days, which was very unusual. Right before he had gotten on the plane, Emmett had promised to call and let him know how things were going. Five days had passed and still no word. He had called Emmett a thousand times and hadn't gotten a response. Ted was beginning to imagine that something terrible had happened like Emmett's plane had crashed or something. _I'm starting to think like Emmett_, Ted thought sourly. _Shoot me now._

Blake watched Ted pacing the living room. "I'm sure he's okay," Blake assured him. He understood that Ted and Emmett were best friends and all, but he was getting a little irritated with Ted's melodrama. Just because Emmett hadn't called him back didn't mean that anything bad had happened. Maybe he had just gotten sidetracked.

"Then, why hasn't he called?" Ted asked. "He was so nervous about going back there that he made me promise to keep my phone on in case he needed to talk to me."

"I guess we can assume that he doesn't need to talk to you," Blake iterated, trying hard to remain calm. The last thing he wanted to do was start a fight with Ted about Emmett, because whether or not he approved, they would always be friends. He wasn't jealous of Emmett or anything, he knew that their relationship was over, but he was a little confounded with their co-dependency issues. _Maybe I _am_ a little jealous_, he conceded. _Because I've never had a friend like Ted before._

Ted sighed. "I'm sorry. I must be driving you crazy." He sat down next to Blake and looked into his eyes.

"A little," Blake admitted, laughing. "But it's okay. I know how much Emmett means to you. It's nice that he has such a good friend. I know I've always counted my blessings that you were there for me."

"I was there for you as more than a friend," Ted reminded him. "I don't do to my friends what I want to do to you." Blake quirked his eyebrows. "Okay, yeah I did...with Emmett, but that was different."

"I know, I was just teasing." Blake chuckled.

"I love you," Ted whispered, kissing Blake. "Thank you for not getting jealous."

"There's nothing to get jealous about. You married me, not Emmett. I'm the one you come home to at the end of the day."

"And I promise that I always will." As they continued to kiss, Ted felt himself stiffening. He kissed Blake more passionately, pushing him so that they were lying down on the couch, with Ted on top. "I'm horny," he said hopefully.

"Me, too." Blake pulled his shirt over his head and started to slide his pants down. He stopped when he heard Ted's cell phone go off. Ted immediately turned toward the phone, his anticipation clear. "Go ahead," Blake yielded with a small sigh. "Answer it."

"No, I'll let it go to voice mail," Ted answered.

"Ted, if that's Emmett you know that you're going to feel bad about missing his call. Just answer it."

"Thanks." Ted immediately snatched the phone up and said, "Hello."

The signal was shitty for a second. "Hello? Teddy?" Emmett said, his voice breaking up.

"Emmett!" Ted cried, his voice a mixture of relief and anger. Apparently he wasn't dead, then. At least not until Ted got his hands on him.

"Teddy? Can you hear me?"

"You're breaking up," Ted said loudly, hoping that Emmett could hear him.

"Hold on." A few seconds passed. "Is that better?"

"Yeah."

"Good. "

"Where the fuck have you been?" Ted demanded, his face flushing with anger.

"I'm going to go get something to drink," Blake whispered, hurrying into the kitchen. He didn't feel comfortable sitting in while Ted and Emmett talked. He wanted to respect Ted's privacy.

"Teddy, are you okay?" Emmett asked. "I've got like, six voice mails from you in the past two days."

"Of course I'm okay. The question is, are you?"

"I'm great. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh I don't know, Em. Maybe because you were practically hyperventilating the other day on the way to the airport. Or because you said you'd call me when you got to Hazelhurst and never did. Of course, it could also be because of the fact that I've been calling your cell phone nonstop for the past three days and haven't heard back from you until now!" Ted screamed into the phone.

Emmett was silent for a few seconds. "I'm so sorry, Teddy. I completely forgot. Things have been insane since I got here and the reception's terrible, so I haven't bothered checking my cell phone. You must have been so worried."

"I was," Ted confirmed. "I'm sorry I freaked out at you."

"It wasn't your fault, I should've remembered to at least let you know that I got here okay."

"Forget about it. So, you said things are insane there...Care to elaborate?"

"Where do I begin?" Emmett asked.

"How about at the beginning?" Ted suggested. "That's where most stories start as I recall."

"Very funny. Are you sitting down?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Trust me, you're going to need to be sitting to hear this."

"The anticipation's killing me, come on!" Ted urged.

Emmett cleared his throat dramatically. "When I landed here, I wanted to surprise Calvin, so I got a cab to take me to his family's house. As it turned out, the driver looks after my father because he's been a little sick lately and one thing led to another and before I knew it, Calvin and I were standing at my dad's door. Now, I thought for sure that he was just going to send me packing again, but we talked things over and made up."

"I thought he said that didn't want to see you again as long as you were a faggot?"

"He did. I guess nineteen years of the cold shoulder brought him around. He apologized for everything and even congratulated me on my marriage. Here's the best part: he welcomed Calvin with open arms and now he's acting just like Deb. Apparently he's even been going to PFLAG meetings."

"Wow! Emmett, that's great! I'm so happy for you!" Ted beamed. "I'm glad that you and your dad could work things out."

"Thanks, sweetie. Anyway, Calvin and I decided to stay a few extra days so I could help my dad out a little. My wonderful siblings have all flaked off so it's up to me."

"When are you coming back?" Ted asked.

"We'll be home in a few days. I have a meeting with a new client and can't reschedule it again or they'll take their business elsewhere."

Blake came back into the living room and sat down next to Ted, kissing his neck softly. Ted started to feel his erection coming back and thought of a way to get off the phone without offending Emmett. "You wouldn't want that to happen," he said, biting his lip to keep from moaning.

"I could definitely use the money," Emmett agreed. "This trip cost a fucking fortune."

"I'll bet. Well, I just wanted to make sure that everything's okay..." Ted wanted to wrap the call up so he could get back to Blake.

"I appreciate it," Emmett continued. "I'm glad that I have such a great friend."

"Me, too."

Blake moved down onto the floor and knelt before Ted, his fingers slowly working the button of Ted's pants. Ted sighed with anticipation as his pants were pulled down. Blake grinned and took him into his mouth. A gasp unintentionally escaped Ted's lips.

"Is everything okay, Teddy?" Emmett asked.

"Fine," Ted gasped, closing his eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Uh...nothing, why?"

"I don't know, you just sound...agitated or something."

"I'm fine," Ted lied. The pleasure was so great that he could barely concentrate on the conversation anymore.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure!" Ted exclaimed, just as he climaxed. Blake looked up at him with a broad grin.

"Okay, okay. Everything's fine. You don't have to scream," Emmett said, hurt.

"It wasn't you, Emmett," Ted managed.

"It sounds to me like someone needs to get laid." _You have no idea!_

Ted was transfixed as Blake stood up and starting undressing in front of him. He licked his lips hungrily. "Emmett, I have to go," he said in a rush.

"Okay, whatever. I'll...call you when I get back."

"Yep. Bye" Ted hung up and threw the phone over his shoulder.

"I take it that Emmett is okay?" Blake said.

"Yeah. You were right, I was overreacting." Ted continued to watch Blake's show.

"I like it when you overreact," Blake murmured, his hands playing with his nipples.

"Oh, yeah?"

Ted reached out and grabbed Blake's arm. He threw him down on the couch and straddled him, kissing a trail from his neck down to his groin. "Now, it's your turn," he growled, wrapping his lips around Blake's cock. He reached up and gently stroked one of Blake's erect nipples. Blake arched his back and gasped, grasping tufts of Ted's hair in his hands.

"Oh, God," Blake moaned.

They made love a few times, moving into the bedroom for more space. Before Blake had come into his life, Ted had never had so much sex. He was so thankful that a gorgeous hunk like Blake had taken an interest in a toad like him. Without Blake, he would probably still be the pathetic loser that got rejected every night at Babylon while his friends––Brian particularly–– scored. Or worse yet, he'd be the pathetic single one in the group now that Brian and Emmett had both taken the plunge.

Afterwards, he held Blake in his arms, reveling in the closeness they shared. Not even Emmett could penetrate that. Ted counted his blessings that Blake never got jealous of his friendship with Emmett. He knew that if the shoe were on the other foot, he probably wouldn't be so cool about it. Looking down, he saw that Blake had dozed off, a smile on his face. Ted gently kissed the top of Blake's head and closed his eyes, savoring the moment.

* * *

A few days later, Emmett sat with his father in the living room. "Are you sure there's nothing else I can do before I go?" he asked, looking around at the almost immaculate house.

"Are you kidding? The house hasn't been this clean in years. Not since..." Thomas trailed off.

"Since Mom died," Emmett finished for him, nodding sadly.

"Anyway, thanks for all the help. I really appreciate it."

"I don't feel right leaving you here all on your own," Emmett said, wringing his hands.

"I'll be fine," Thomas assured him. "I'm feeling much better now. Pretty soon I'll be able to leave the house again and I won't even need anyone to keep an eye on me."

"If something ever happened, I would feel terrible." He felt the hot sting of tears. "I'm so scared of losing you."

"You're not going to lose me." Thomas embraced Emmett, stroking his hair. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

"But what if something happens once I'm gone?" Emmett demanded. "I couldn't live with myself if something bad happened to you."

Thomas was touched that even after all he had said and done to Emmett, that he had been forgiven so easily. _Hate's not in his nature_, Thomas thought. _He's a loving, caring person. He's a better man than I am._ "You have to go back," Thomas urged. "You have a life and a job in Pittsburgh. You can't put everything on hold to stay here and clean house for me. You have your own life to live." Now that he had his son back, Thomas never wanted to lose him again. He was sad that Emmett would be going back to Pittsburgh that evening, but he was glad that his son was happy, that was what really mattered.

"Is that what you told the others?" Emmett was still peeved that his siblings had not bothered to come and see their dad.

"They don't know," Thomas admitted. "And I'd appreciate it if you kept it that way. The last thing I want is to have the house full of hoodlums," he joked. "Besides, didn't you say that you had a meeting tomorrow for work?"

"I can reschedule my meetings for next week," Emmett argued, even though it wasn't true.

"No you can't. You need the money."

"How did you...?" Emmett had made sure that he was alone when he'd called Ted.

"The other day when you called your friend, I could hear you through the window. I didn't meant to listen in, but when you said that, I couldn't help myself."

Emmett nodded. "It's not as bad as it sounds," he assured Thomas. "I'm not on the verge of going bankrupt or anything. I have plenty of money, it's just that I need to keep it coming in."

"I understand. That's why you have to go back, Emmett."

"I know," Emmett whispered, his voice quivering. "Just promise me that you'll be careful and that you'll have someone come by the check up on you?"

"I promise."

"And I'll be calling every day to make sure that everything is okay, so don't think about going anywhere until you're all the way better."

"I won't." Thomas laughed. "You're worse than mother was, you know that? A regular commandant."

"Who do you think I got it from?" Emmett smiled sadly. "I remember growing up that when we were sick she would not let us leave the house for any reason under penalty of having to clean the bathroom." He shivered at the memory. "That was enough to make me stay in bed all day."

"She was something else," Thomas agreed. "But she was a hell of a woman."

"Yeah, she was. I miss her a lot."

"Me, too. It's been lonely here without her all these years. I don't think I'll ever stop missing her."

Thomas smiled up at his son. "I just wish that she could be here today to see you. I know that she'd be every bit as proud of you as I am."

"Oh, Daddy." Emmett started to cry again. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to here you say that!"

"Probably as long as I've been waiting to say it to you."

"Why don't you come with me?" Emmett asked, his face lighting up at the possibility. "There's a room going spare in the apartment and you could meet all of my friends. You'd love Teddy." His smile wavered when he saw Thomas's grim face.

"I can't," Thomas answered.

"Why not?" Emmett demanded. The only way that he wouldn't feel guilty about leaving his dad behind was if Thomas would come with him. Then he could keep an eye on him and make up for all of the lost time.

"I have a job and life of my own here," Thomas explained. "I can't just pack up and leave on a whim. Even though it does sound like a wonderful idea."

Emmett tried to regain control of his emotions. "Sure, you can. You don't need to be working anymore at your age."

"The bills need to be paid somehow."

"But if you came with me, you wouldn't have to pay bills anymore. Calvin and I would let you stay with us for free."

"That's very kind of both of you," Thomas began.

"But the answer is no, right?"

"For now. Maybe one day I'll be ready to leave this place behind, face the big bad world outside of Hazelhurst."

"The offer still stands," Emmett said. "Whenever you're ready."

"Okay." Thomas sighed. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you remember when you were a little boy and you used to love to dress up your sisters' Barbies?"

"Yes!" Emmett laughed at the memory. "I'd spend all day putting on fashion shows to impress Ken. Mom would help me sew the clothes." _I miss those days._

"Is party planning really your dream?" Thomas asked.

Emmett mulled that over for a minute. He had been getting kind of bored with the whole event planning thing lately but with no other option, he had stuck with it. "Not really," he admitted.

"Maybe you should try something else. You were always had a knack for knowing what looks good."

"Are you suggesting I become a designer?" Emmett asked, furrowing his brow. It wasn't a _terrible _idea. He was the most fashionable fag in Pittsburgh, after all. It was always an option.

"I don't know." Thomas shrugged. "It used to make you happy. I just want you to do whatever makes you happy. I haven't heard you say one good thing about your job since you've been here. All you've done is complain about it and avoid going back to it. If you ask me, that's a sign that you're unhappy."

Calvin knocked lightly on the door, interrupting them. "We have to get going," he said, taking in Emmett's confused face.

"I'll be right out," Emmett promised, forcing himself to smile.

"Okay." Calvin turned and went back to the car.

"You'd better get out of here before you miss your plane," Thomas urged, smiling.

"Yeah." Emmett got up from his chair and hugged Thomas. "I love you," he whispered.

"You, too. Just think about what I said, yeah?"

Pulling away, Emmett wiped the tears from his eyes. "I will. And I'm going to call you as soon as I get home, okay?"

"Yeah, like you promised your friend you'd call him?" Thomas teased. Emmett couldn't help but laugh. "Have a safe flight," His voice was serious.

"Thanks." With a final glance back at his dad, Emmett walked out the door. Calvin was waiting for him by the car.

"Are you okay?" he asked, reaching for Emmett.

"You know me, it's always drama, drama, drama." He got into the car and stared back up at the house.

"You want to stay, don't you?"

"I wish I could," Emmett confessed. "He hasn't been in my life for nineteen years and now that I have him back, I don't want to let him go, especially when he can barely even walk."

"He'll be okay," Calvin promised. "When we get back to Pittsburgh, we'll see about getting him some in-home nursing, okay?"

Emmett immediately perked up. "Really? You'd do that for me?" he asked.

"I'd do anything for you," Calvin replied.

"I love you." Emmett gave Calvin a quick kiss. "I know that I don't always show it, but I do."

"I know." Calvin smiled lovingly. "Now, how about we go back home and spend the rest of the day in bed?"

"It sounds like a plan to me." Emmett rested his head on Calvin's shoulder and closed his eyes.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Michael decides to go back to college but can't decide what to go for. Luckily he's got friends who are willing to offer advice. Brian and Justin visit Babylon for the first time since Gus came to stay with them. Brian decides to give up drugs.


	71. Back to Normal

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian took Gus back home to Mel and Linz in Toronto. While there, the girls decided to let him have Gus every other weekend.

Emmett returned home to Hazelhurst and after nineteen years of silence, made up with his estranged father.

* * *

Chapter Seventy

By the weekend, everything was back to normal. The gang assembled at the Liberty Diner for breakfast. "So, how are you liking your new job, Sunshine?" Debbie asked, pausing by their table. She was expertly balancing a tray of food precariously in one hand. Emmett scooted closer to Ted so that if the tray fell, he wouldn't get hit.

"It's great," Justin replied, smiling at Brian. "I'm really liking it."

"That's because you get to be with me all day," Brian elaborated. "All day and all night." He stuck his tongue in Justin's ear, causing everyone else to groan.

"I get enough of that at work, I shouldn't have to see it here, too," Ted grumbled setting his food back down. Brian and Justin started to kiss.

Debbie grabbed a pack of napkins from the counter and threw it at Brian and Justin. It bounced off Justin's shoulder, but they kept on going. Brian gave Deb the middle finger. "There's no stopping them," Debbie said, perturbed.

"Maybe if we ignore them, they'll stop," Emmett suggested.

"It's worth a shot," Michael agreed. "So, I've been thinking…."

"Always a dangerous sign," Brian cut in, breaking his kiss with Justin.

Michael stuck his tongue out at Brian. "Jackass." Brian turned back to Justin and they continued kissing.

"Thinking about what?" Deb pressed.

"About going back to school."

"What?" Debbie nearly dropped the tray of food. Brian stopped kissing Justin and whipped around to face Michael.

"Are you serious, Mikey?"

"I'm serious," Michael confirmed. "I've always wanted to go back and get my degree, but I haven't had the money until now. What I make at the comic store can help with tuition and textbooks and the rest I'll just have to get a student loan for."

"That's great, sweetie!" Deb gushed. "I'm so proud of you."

Ted clapped Michael on the shoulder. "What are going to go for?" he asked.

"That's the thing I can't decide," Michael confessed. "Last time, I hadn't chosen a major. I just kept hoping that as time went on, I would pick something."

"You could go for fashion," Emmett suggested. "You'd make a fabulous couturier."

"Thanks, but no thanks, Em." Michael laughed. "I don't think fashion is for me. I can barely dress myself let alone the world."

"What about something in the medical field?" Ted mused.

"You could be a nurse," Justin interjected.

"You'd look hot in scrubs," Brian added.

"They make decent money and supposedly it doesn't even take all that long," Emmett parlayed.

Michael shook his head. "I heard that medical students have to practice giving shots on each other."

"Well they have to practice somewhere, Mikey," Brian teased.

"I don't like needles and the last person I want poking me with one is some inexperienced newbie. Besides, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the comic store yet."

"You aren't making any sense," Brian said. "You want to go back to college to get a degree, but you don't want to give up your comic store and you don't even know what you want a degree in?"

"Exactly!" Michael groaned and rested his head in his hands. "This is so confusing! I don't know what to do."

"You have to do what you want," Debbie answered simply. "Don't let anyone else make your decisions for you."

"Deb's right," Justin agreed. "What do _you_ want?"

"I don't know," Michael whined. "That's the problem."

"Just give it some time, you'll figure it out," Deb promised.

"Enough about me. What's new with you guys?" Michael asked, looking around the table.

Emmett couldn't contain himself any longer. "Something happened a few days ago," he began.

"You finally got rid of those anal warts?" Brian asked snidely.

"No, I'm still working on that," Emmett joked. "Anyway, Teddy, you already know, but I'm going to tell you again anyway."

"I can't wait to hear it...again," Ted said.

"Tell us!" Michael demanded. He hadn't heard the story yet and was intrigued.

"Remember how I said that Calvin was going back to Hazelhurst for a few days?" The others nodded. "Well I decided to go with him." Michael, Justin, and Deb gasped. Brian just blinked and continued eating.

"You said you were never going back there," Debbie noted.

"What changed your mind?" Michael asked.

Emmett smiled at Ted. "Teddy did. He came over and talked me into it."

"It was all you, Em." Ted blushed and shook his head. "I just reminded you how much you love Calvin."

"Will you two stop arguing and just get on with the fucking story?" Brian asked. "I'm getting bored."

"Sorry. When I got there, my cab driver turned out to be a friend of my dad's. He said that my dad had been in an accident at work and was laid up in the house."

"Did you go and see him?" Debbie asked. She knew that Emmett and his father were at odds, but she hoped that Emmett's kind heart would win out over hatred.

"Actually, I did."

"He didn't hit you or anything, did he?"

"No. You're not going to believe this, but he apologized for what happened and I forgave him."

"Good for you, honey!" Deb gave Emmett a playful smack on the cheek.

"Thanks." Emmett grinned broadly. "We worked everything out and now its like nothing ever happened."

Brian and Justin were next. "You can tell them," Brian said. "You'll get more satisfaction out of it than I will."

"You got satisfaction telling it to me," Justin reminded him with a sly smile.

"That was different," Brian insisted.

"Whatever. When Brian took Gus back to Lindsay and Melanie, they decided that it would be best for Gus to spend more time with Brian and I, so starting next Friday, we'll be getting him every weekend."

"Holy fuck!" Debbie screamed. "I can't see Melanie letting that happen. What did you do to convince her, kiddo?"

"I didn't do anything. We went out for drinks..."

"At _the_ bar?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah." Brian nodded.

"Didn't it remind you of Woody's, but somehow was entirely different at the same time?"

"Yeah," Brian repeated.

Debbie crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you sure you didn't slip something into her drink? That doesn't sound like the Melanie that I know and love."

"She and I have an understanding now," Brian explained. "She and Lindsay willingly agreed to the arrangement."

"I'm glad you two are finally getting along. You know how I feel about fighting within the family."

"Yes, Mother," Brian muttered. Ted was the only one not to share something. "What's new, Theodore?"

Ted chewed his food for a second before he answered. "Everything is pretty much the same in my life. I work, I run the club, and I go home and spend time with my husband. What more could I ask for?"

"How about some excitement?" Brian suggested.

"I've never really been one for excitement as you all know."

"Yeah, how many years did it take for you to stop ordering the same damn thing for lunch?" Debbie joked.

"My point exactly. I like routine and the comfort of knowing that some things never change."

Brian cleared his throat. "What are you all doing tonight?" he asked, folding his hands on the tabletop.

"The usual," Emmett answered.

"No idea," Michael replied.

"Babylon," Ted reminded him.

"Why?" Michael asked.

"I was thinking that since Sunshine and I have been on a break from Babylon while Gus was here, we might check it out tonight."

"I was thinking the same thing," Justin said. "I could do with a night of dancing. College is kicking my ass."

"I'm in," Emmett supplied.

They all turned to look at Michael. "I guess I can come. Ben and Hunter are going to spend the night submitting college applications and I think a break from all that would do me some good. What time?"

"Eleven," Brian answered. "I have to stay a little late at work tonight."

"I told you that taking all of those days off was going to catch up with you," Justin teased.

"Well they're catching up to you, too, because you're going to stay and help me," Brian told him.

"Like I have much of a choice anyway."

"You'll enjoy yourself, I promise."

"I'm sure I will."

Before they could start kissing again, Ted said. "I think Ringo is bartending tonight at Woody's if you want to go in for a drink before Babylon."

"That was the plan," Brian agreed. "What is it with you and Ringo anyway? He always gives you free drinks."

"I don't know," Ted admitted. "He's just a really nice guy."

"Who happens to have a crush on you," Emmett interjected.

"No, he doesn't!" Ted insisted. "He's just nice."

"Uh huh, then why does he only give you free drinks?"

"Umm..." Ted couldn't explain that.

"It's probably because you're always up there flirting with him," Brian noted.

"I do not flirt with him!" Brian arched an eyebrow. "Okay, maybe I _unintentionally_ flirt with him."

"Didn't that Tad guy you were dating freak out because he thought you were flirting with Ringo?" Justin asked.

"Yeah."

"Maybe he wasn't as wrong as we thought he was," Emmett pointed out.

Brian checked the time. "It's time to go back to work," he said, throwing a twenty dollar bill down on the table to cover both his and Justin's meals.

"Okay, well I'll see you all at tonight at Woody's. Say...ten?" Michael said.

"Ten," Brian agreed. "Later." Justin waved and followed Brian out to the car.

Later that evening, the guys were walking to Babylon. "It's a shame your boyfriend wasn't working tonight, Ted," Brian said. "Maybe you could've convinced him to give us all free drinks."

"I'll ask him next time I see him," Ted joked. "And he's not my boyfriend."

"Whatever you say sweetie." Emmett draped his arm over Ted's shoulder and leaned down to kiss his cheek. "That boy has got a major crush on you."

"Then, I guess I'll just have to stop going to Woody's. I don't want to give him the wrong idea. I'm a happily married man."

"You should tell him that."

Babylon loomed before them. The music was so loud that it could be heard on the street. Brian closed his eyes and a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "I'm back, baby," he whispered. "I've missed you."

"Did you just call Babylon baby?" Justin asked, laughing.

"No," Brian lied, scoffing.

"Uh huh. Hey, do you have any drugs?" Justin looked around the make sure that nobody had heard him.

"I'm out," Brian replied. "Why, do you want some?"

Justin shook his head. "Only if you want some. Don't buy any especially for me, I only use when I'm here with you."

"Actually, I've been thinking about giving it up," Brian confessed.

"What?" Justin laughed in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?"

"No. We have Gus staying with us more often now a baby on the way and I think it's time I gave up the drugs. Just because I've never ended up in the hospital before doesn't mean it can't happen. These days, you can't even trust your friends to give you clean drugs."

"Well if that's what you want, I'll support you."

"I just don't want anything to happen. I'm a family man now, which means that you and kids come first."

"I love you." Justin reached up and pulled Brian's face down to his.

Their lips met for a second before Michael 'accidentally' bumped into them. "Sorry, didn't see you," he lied, grinning facetiously.

"Yeah. Sure, Mikey," Brian mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"You aren't going to give up smoking and drinking, too, are you?" Justin asked. While he appreciated the fact that Brian was taking their family life seriously, he didn't want him to give up all of his joys in life.

"One vice at a time," Brian assured him.

The doorman waived them through. As soon as he was inside the club, Brian felt like he was back home. "It's good to be back, don't you think?" He had to shout to be heard over the music.

"Yeah," Justin agreed. "I liked having Gus with us, but I did miss going out."

"Thank God you haven't turned into one of those people who has to give up all means of having fun once they're married. I don't know what I'd do if all you ever wanted to do was stay home and paint."

"You'd go out of your mind," Justin answered with a knowing smile.

"I would, but I'd stay home with you anyway." He smiled at Justin and nodded toward the bar. "Want a drink?" he asked.

"Sure."

Justin hadn't had a drink in awhile and didn't see the harm in having a few just because he had work in the morning. If Brian could manage to get drunk and still go to work and function all day, so could he. "What do you want?" Brian asked.

"Whatever is fine," Justin replied. "Surprise me."

"I thought I already did?" Brian waggled his eyebrows and disappeared into the crowd.

"You two are like, disgustingly happy," Ted noted, stopping next to Justin.

"We are." Justin smiled as the crowd cleared for a second and he caught sight of Brian at the bar.

"I know that you probably hear this all the time, but I'm just going to go ahead and say it anyway."

"What?" Justin looked away from Brian so that Ted would know he was paying attention.

Ted scratched his ear. "I've known Brian for a long time now and I've always kind of just tolerated him because I had no choice, you know? He's always been an asshole and there was no changing it. But then you came along and somehow you managed to turn the world's biggest prick into a semi-decent guy."

"Thanks...I guess." Justin laughed.

"I mean it. I didn't think that it was possible that Brian even had a heart or a soul, but you helped prove me wrong. And I'm glad that you did because now I see that underneath it all, Brian really is a loving, caring person. I'm proud to call him my friend and I want to thank you for all that you've done for him." Justin could see tears in the corners of Ted's eyes. Had he taken something when nobody was looking? No, he'd probably had a few too many drinks at Woody's.

This whole conversation had come completely out of the blue and Justin didn't know what to say. Luckily, he didn't have to say anything because Brian was on his way back with the drinks. He shot Ted a smile and turned back toward Brian. "What are you doing to my poor husband, Theodore?" Brian asked, slipping one arm over Justin's shoulder protectively.

"Just talking," Ted replied. He gave Justin a knowing smile before disappearing into the crowd.

"What the fuck was all that about?" Brian inquired, handing Justin his drink.

"I have absolutely no idea," Justin admitted. "But it doesn't matter, it's over. How about you and I go dance?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

Brian took the lead and pushed through the throng of dancing men. "I certainly didn't miss the smell," he commented, wrinkling his nose as the smell of B.O. wafted past him.

"Oh, come on. You know you like it," Justin teased.

"I'd rather change a shitty diaper," Brian replied.

"You'll have plenty of opportunities to do that in a few months. And I'm going to hold you to that. "

"Yippee." Brian waved his hand around limply.

A new song started to play and Justin's face lit up. "This is the first song we ever danced to," he said, his eyes aglow.

"I remember." Brian moved closer to Justin and wrapped his arms around him. Justin tilted his head back and Brian sensually ran his tongue from his Adam's apple all the way up to the bottom of his chin. Justin took Brian's hand and led him off to the back room.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **While taking out the trash, Debbie witnesses a gay teen being bashed. She decides to take him in and help him after she learns that his father kicked him out and refuses to speak to him.


	72. Wonder Woman

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Michael decided to go back to college but couldn't decide what to go for.

After spending the whole summer away from Babylon. Brian and Justin joined the others for a night out.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-One

Debbie poured her scraps into the trash bag. She had made a big dinner and the majority of it had been eaten. She tied the ends of the trash bag together and pulled it tight. "I'm going to go take the trash out," she told Carl.

"I'll do it," he offered, rising from his chair.

"Sit your ass down and finish your ice cream," Deb ordered. "I'll be right back."

"Yes ma'am," Carl muttered. Debbie was still over protective because of the stroke. She hardly let him leave the house unless he had somebody with him at all times.

Going out the kitchen door, through the small backyard garden and into the back alley, Deb tossed the trash bag into the garbage can. When Vic had been alive, he had insisted on taking the trash out. It had made him feel useful he'd said. "I miss you little brother," Deb whispered, looking up at the starry night sky and smiling. She knew with all of her heart that Vic could hear her and was smiling down on her.

She turned back to go into the house, but stopped when she heard the sound of a trashcan clanging to the ground and rolling. "Fucking faggot!" a male voice yelled.

"Queer!" another joined in. Debbie heard a thud like somebody being hit. "Come on, faggot. Open up wide!" Debbie ran back into the house and grabbed the baseball bat she kept hidden in case of rapists.

"Call 911!" she ordered, rushing back out the door.

"Deb, what's going on!" Carl called after her, but she didn't answer.

Debbie turned the corner and saw two teenagers kicking a kid who couldn't have been more than fifteen or sixteen. "How do you like that, homo?" one asked, savagely kicking the kid in the stomach.

"Cut it out!" Deb screamed suddenly, causing the two teenagers to whip around to face her.

"Don't worry about her, it's just that fag hag Novotny woman," the teenager who appeared to be the leader said, turning back to the poor kid on the ground.

"Cut it out!" Debbie repeated more forcefully. To emphasize her point, she slammed the baseball bat into the cement wall to her right, a loud cracking noise reverberating through the alley.

The leader laughed. "Who do you think you are, Xena?" he scoffed. "Go back to your fags."

"Come on, man. We should really go," the other kid said, his voice cracking. Apparently Deb's tough chick act was paying off.

"Not until we teach this little fairy a lesson."

"You touch that boy again and I'll rip your balls off and wear them as earrings," Debbie threatened, moving closer to the scene.

Suddenly, the siren of a cop car wailed nearby. "Shit man, let's go!" The two kids ran off into the night, their footfalls pounding on the street. Relieved, Debbie knelt down next to the kid on the street. The street lamp's light was scant, but she could see that the poor kid was shivering with fright. He had his face covered with his hands, and blood trickled down his chin, staining his shirt.

"Come on, honey," Deb said, reaching for him.

"No!" the kid cried, rolling up into the fetal position.

"It's okay, they're gone," Debbie said softly.

The kid lowered his hands from his face tentatively. "They're gone?" he repeated.

"Yeah, they ran off," Deb confirmed. She held out her hand and the kid took it, slowly rising to his feet. "Are you okay, sweetie?" she asked.

"I'll be fine," the kid whispered. "It's nothing."

"They were kicking you pretty hard, you probably have some broken ribs or something."

"I don't know," the kid admitted.

"Why don't you come with me? I'll get you some tea."

Debbie led the kid into the house and sat him down at the table. "What the hell happened?" Carl demanded, taking in the sight. The kid's face was bloody and bruised. That must've hurt pretty bad. There was also a gash on his eyebrow that was oozing blood, and he clutched his ribs tightly.

"Some assholes were out there gang beating him," Deb replied, her tone angry. Her face was almost as red as her hair. "Can you believe that?"

"Are you okay?" Carl asked, turning to Deb.

"I'm fine. It's him you should be worried about."

"I'll called the cops, they're on their way," Carl assured her.

"We need to get him to a hospital." Debbie nodded at the kid, who was staring blankly at the wall. "He could have a fucking concussion or worse."

The cops rang the doorbell and Debbie rushed to open it. "We got a call from this address," the cop said, looking around warily.

"Yeah, he's through here," Deb said, leading the cops into the kitchen. "I found him in the alley. These two thugs were beating him. Thank God I came along, they probably would have killed him! Apparently everyone on this block is fucking deaf."

"What's your name?" the cop asked, turning to look at the kid. He didn't answer. "What's your name?" the cop repeated.

The kid still wouldn't answer. "If he isn't going to help us, there isn't much we can do, ma'am." The cop looked back at the kid. "He should really get to a hospital."

"We'll take him," Debbie said, in shock. The cop nodded and showed himself out.

"Can I have some water?" the kid rasped, startling Deb.

"Sure, honey," she said, grabbing a glass out of the cupboard and filling it up. "Here you go."

"Thanks."

Deb sat down next to the kid and chewed her lip. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Lance." Lance twitched when Debbie put a hand on his shoulder.

"How old are you, Lance?"

"Sixteen." _So young._

"Where do you live?"

"I can't go back there!" Lance cried, jumping up from his chair. Debbie stood up and gently took his hand, stroking it softly.

"I won't make you go back," she promised. "At least not tonight. But you are going to hospital."

"I don't need..."

"You are going to the hospital!" Deb said forcefully. Lance didn't argue. "Carl, will you do me a favor and call Michael?"

"Sure." Carl nodded and grabbed the phone.

"Tell him to meet me at Allegheny General."

Lance stared out the car window, unblinking. "Do you know who attacked you?" she asked.

"They're some assholes from school," Lance answered.

"You should tell the cops. The little fuckers won't get arrested or go to jail, but they'll probably have to serve community service."

"What are you, a lawyer?"

"Let's just say I have experience in these matters," Debbie said simply.

"You?"

"This kid I know, Justin. The night of his senior prom, one of his classmates followed him down to the car park and hit him in the head with a baseball bat."

"Is he okay?"

"Now he is. It took awhile and a hell of a lot of help. You're lucky they didn't kill you."

"Look, can we just drop it!" Lance exclaimed, clenching his jaw.

Debbie peered at him out of the corner of her eye for a second. "Earlier, when I asked you where you live, you freaked out. Why is that?"

"You don't want to know," Lance answered.

"I do, otherwise I wouldn't be asking you, would I?"

"My dad kicked me out," he confessed.

"Because he found out you were gay?" Debbie had heard the story plenty of times from kids at the diner. It had even happened to Justin.

"Yeah." Lance scoffed. "He wasn't happy."

"He didn't hit you or anything, did he?" Deb asked, her heart pounding in her chest. Lance didn't answer. "Is that how your face got like that?" Lance shook his head.

"I ran before he could hit me. But I knew it was coming."

At the hospital, the doctor examined Lance. "Are you his mother?" the doctor asked, stepping out of the examination room into the hallway.

"For all intents and purposes," Debbie replied, standing up. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He's got no broken bones and the damage to his face is mostly superficial."

"Thank God."

"Do you know how he ended up like this?"

"I'm going to level with you. I'm not his mother. I was taking my trash out and I heard a commotion out in the alley and when I went to see what it was, I found him being beaten by these two thugs."

The doctor nodded. "Have you alerted the police? This is a serious matter."

"He wouldn't talk to them. They said that without his help, there wasn't much they could do. I didn't get a good look at their faces, so I can't really do anything."

"At least you tried. That's more than most people would do."

"I have a gay son," Debbie explained. "I know all about it."

Michael burst through the doors and frantically looked both ways. When he spotted Deb, he visibly relaxed. "What's going on?" he asked, his breathing heavy. "I got a call from Carl telling me to meet you here. I thought you something had happened to you."

"I'm fine, honey. But that poor boy," she pointed into the examination room, "is in a hell of a state." Michael peered into the room.

"Who the hell is he?"

Debbie filled Michael in. "I couldn't just leave him there. I had to do something to help him." Without realizing it, Deb had gotten herself so worked up that tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"It's okay, Ma," Michael whispered, hugging her.

"You didn't see him!" she insisted. "Lying there on the street. Bleeding. Trembling. Barely able to hold his goddamn head up!"

"I know." Michael stroked her hair.

The doctor went back into the examination room for a second and came back out. "He's free to go," he announced.

"Thanks, doctor," Michael said.

"I have to do something, Michael," Deb insisted, wiping her tears away. "He's got nowhere to go."

"Well what are you going to do, let him stay at your house?"

"What choice do I have?"

"Ma, he's a total stranger. For all you know, he could be conning you."

"Michael Charles Novotny!" Debbie roared, smacking his cheek.

"I'm sorry." Michel lowered his head, ashamed. His cheek burned.

Lance shuffled out of the room, grimacing as he slid his shirt over his head. "You okay, honey?"

"Just some bruises," Lance answered, clenching his jaw against the pain. His eyes froze on Michael. With a slight nod of his head, Lance turned to leave.

"Where are the fuck do you think you're going?" Debbie asked.

"Anywhere but here," Lance called back over his shoulder.

"Hold it!" Lance froze. "You're coming home with me. You can stay in my son Michael's old room." At the mention of his name, Michael forced himself to smile.

"I'll be fine," Lance replied.

"Of course you will. But you'll be even finer at my house. You can't go back out on the streets. You could die."

"That wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen." Deb was speechless. How had this kid come to be so depressed that he didn't even care if he lived or died?

Michael grabbed his arm lightly. "Just for tonight," he said, hoping to assuage the kid.

"Fine," Lance sighed. "But no cops, okay?"

"Whatever you say," Deb agreed. "But we're making a stop on the way home."

"Where?" Lance asked.

"Your house."

"No fucking way!" Lance hissed. "My dad will kill me if I so much as step foot in his yard. He said so himself."

"We'll see," Debbie said. "I want him to look at what he's done. Maybe there's still a soul left in there somewhere."

Twenty minutes later, she parked in front of a nice house. "I've done this before," she admitted, looking over at Lance.

"With that friend of yours?"

"Yeah. He ran away from home because his mom found he was gay. I forced him to go back."

"And how did that work out?"

"His dad found out and kicked him out." Debbie didn't see any use in lying. "But he lived with my son Michael's friend Brian for a few weeks before moving in with me."

"And let me guess, he's a lawyer now?"

"No, he's an artist. And you know what? He married Brian and they live in a fucking mansion together in West Virginia."

"What's your point?" Lance cast a nervous glance over at the house.

"No matter how bad things are, they're never bad enough to kill yourself."

"What? You think I'm suicidal? No way!"

"Back in the hospital you said that dying wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen. I just assumed..."

Lance looked over at Debbie. "I didn't mean it like that. I would never kill myself, that's for pussies. But my dad doesn't want me, so what am I supposed to do?"

"What about your mom?"

"She died when I was six. Breast cancer."

"I'm sorry." Debbie was feeling even worse than she had before. This kid was a fucking mess.

"Whatever. Can we go now?"

"Not until I talk to your father."

Debbie got out of the car and marched up to the door. She rang the doorbell and motioned for Lance to come with her. Lance shook his head emphatically, but when Deb glared at him, he loped up to stand behind her, head downcast.

A few seconds later, the door opened and a man in his late forties opened the door. "Yes?" he asked, looking Deb up and down scornfully.

"I believe I have something of yours." Debbie pulled Lance in front of her. "Your son?"

"I don't have a son," the man growled, staring to close the door.

"Ah ah." Debbie stuck her foot in the way. "He is your son."

"So what? I don't want anything to do with some fucking faggot. He should've died instead of his mother. All he's done is cause me shame."

Debbie's face flushed red. "Really? Well let me tell you something Mr...?"

"Who are you to come here and judge me?" the man demanded.

"I'm Debbie fucking Novotny, who the hell are you?"

Martin," the man answered, glaring at his son.

"Mr. Martin. Because of your narrow-mindedness, your son was nearly killed tonight. See?" She pulled Lance so that the porch light illuminated him. "I know you can't look at this face and turn him away," Deb pleaded.

"If you don't leave right now, I'm calling the cops," Martin threatened.

"Go right ahead. I'm sure they'd love to hear all about what you did to your son. Last time I checked, Martin, cops frown on kicking out minors."

Martin took a threatening step forward but Debbie didn't budge. "Get the hell off of my property," he growled.

"This isn't over," Debbie replied, fixing Martin with a pissed off glare.

"Can we please just go now?" Lance begged, pawing at Debbie's hand.

"Yeah, honey. We'll go." With one last death glare at Martin, Deb turned and walked Lance back to the car.

"I'm sorry about my dad," Lance said, his voice breaking with emotion.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. He's the one who should be sorry."

When they got home, Debbie fixed up Michael's old room. It hadn't been slept in since Justin had stayed there. "Do you need anything else?" she asked as Lance got under the covers and lay back on the pillow.

"I'm fine," Lance replied. "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure sweetheart. Now you get some sleep You've had a hell of day."

"Goodnight, Mrs. Novotny."

"Call me Deb."

"Goodnight, Deb."

"Goodnight."

Carl was waiting up in the bedroom. "Is he all settled in?" he asked, holding the blankets back so Deb could get in.

"Yeah, poor kid. You should've seen the way his father talked to him. I swear, I'm going to nail that bastard if it's the last thing I do."

"Tomorrow," Carl promised. "There's nothing else you can do tonight."

"I've been thinking," Deb began, chewing her fingernail nervously.

"About what?" Carl asked warily.

"The kid's got nowhere to go and since we have a spare room and all...I was thinking that maybe he could stay here with us."

Carl thought it over for a second. "I think that's a great idea honey." He leaned over and kissed Deb's cheek.

"Good, cause I was going to do it anyway." She turned off the lamp on her bedside stand and got settled. When she closed her eyes, she saw images of Lance being beaten in the alley. Slowly, she got out of bed and went to check on him. He was fast asleep. Smiling bitterly, Deb went back to bed.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Debbie enlists Justin to help Lance. Brian and Justin get Gus for the weekend.


	73. An Inherited Trait

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Debbie witnessed a teenage boy being bashed in the alley behind the house. Learning that his father had kicked him out, she decided to take him in.

Melanie and Lindsay agreed to let Brian and Justin have Gus every other weekend.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Two

"She did what?" Brian let out a bark of laughter. He and Justin were on their way to the airport to go get Gus. Brian had his conversation with Michael on speakerphone.

"She picked up some kid from the alley behind the house and took him in like a stray or something," Michael said. "And it isn't the first time."

"Hey!" Justin piped up. "She didn't take me in like a stray."

"It's an inherited trait," Brian interjected before Justin and Michael could start arguing.

"What do you mean?" Michael asked.

"Well she took in this kid and you took in Hunter. You Novotnys are a regular pet shelter."

"Gee, thanks," Michael muttered. "What does that make you?"

"I have no idea what you mean, Mikey."

Michael laughed. "Like hell you don't. Hey, Justin. My ma was wondering if you could come over some time soon and talk to Lance."

"I guess so." He shrugged even though Michael couldn't see it. "But, why me?"

"Because his situation is a lot like yours. He was kicked out by his dad, disowned, and bashed. I didn't think it was possible, but his situation is even worse than yours ever was. At least you had us to turn to, this kid's got no one."

"I'll be there." Justin felt bad for the poor kid. He couldn't imagine how he would have gotten through everything that had happened to him if he hadn't had his friends and Brian to help him.

Brian sensed Justin's unease and squeezed his hand. Justin smiled at him. "He could really use someone who knows what he's going through," Michael continued.

"Maybe we could stop by after we get Gus," Justin suggested, looking to Brian for confirmation.

"Better yet. I'll drop you off, get Gus, and then pick you up on the way back," Brian opined.

"That works for me."

"All right. See you guys in a bit," Michael said.

"Later, Mikey." Brian hung up. "I guess we'll have to reschedule our plans for another time," Brian mused. They had been planning to make the forty-five minute flight to Toronto more pleasurable.

"I'm sorry," Justin said. "I feel like I owe it to him."

"Yeah. It's fine. We have plenty of time to keep the mile high club going."

"I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"How about now?" Brian suggested.

"I'm on it." Justin unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over to Brian's side of the car.

When Brian pulled up in front of Debbie's house, Justin moved back over to his side. "Are we even now?" he asked, wiping the corners of his mouth subconsciously. He didn't want there to be any evidence of his actions.

"Let me think about it and get back to you," Brian replied. Justin smacked his arm. "All right, we're even."

"Thank you." Justin planted a sloppy kiss on Brian's cheek. "Tell Mel and Linz I said hi."

"I will. Later."

"Bye." Justin waved Brian off before going in.

Debbie was in the kitchen cooking. It was what she usually did when under stress. "Hey, Sunshine," she said, not quite as cheery as usual.

"Hi, Deb." Justin paused in the doorway.

"Uh, Lance is upstairs," Deb told him. "In Michael's old room."

"Okay." He turned to go up the stairs.

"Sunshine," Debbie called.

"Yeah?" He stopped and looked through the banister at her.

"Thanks for doing this. I know that you and Brian were planning on going to get Gus together..."

"Don't worry about it, Deb. I'm happy to help." Debbie smiled and Justin continued up the stairs.

When he got to the door of the bedroom that he had once inhabited, he knocked lightly. "I'm not hungry," a male voice said.

"Can I come in?" Justin asked, hand on the doorknob.

"Who are you?"

"Justin." The door opened and a teenaged kid with black hair and dark eyes stared at him. "Hi, Lance."

"Hey," Lance said simply, opening the door wide enough for Justin to come in. "What are you doing here?" He eyed Justin warily.

"I came to talk to you," Justin replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Debbie sent you, huh?" Lance smirked. Apparently he was familiar with Debbie's ways.

"No," Justin confessed. "Michael did."

Lance nodded. "You know, for an older man, he's not bad looking."

"You have no idea," Justin replied. Lance shot him a quizzical look. "The older man part. Not Michael. Ew." To emphasize his point, Justin shivered. "I'm married to an older man."

"How much older?"

"Twelve years."

"Wow, that's kind of weird."

"Tell me about it." Justin laughed. "Do you have a boyfriend?" If he could find just one way to get through to Lance, he might actually accomplish something.

"Not anymore," Lance admitted. "We broke up after prom."

"I'm sorry." Justin didn't know what else to say.

"Don't be. He was a jerk. I could have done much better. With him it was all about sex. Every Friday after school, we'd both go back to my house or his house and have sex. We even had sex one time when his kid sister was in the other room. How fucked up is that? Eventually, I just got sick of it. I want more than sex."

Justin kept his face emotionless. Despite his tough demeanor, Lance was opening up. "That's typical for teenagers, though. Your hormones are raging. All you want is sex."

"Does it get any better?" Lance looked at Justin curiously. He frowned pensively. How to answer that? Brian was all about the sex, but Justin didn't mind. And he couldn't really base his answer on any other relationship because the only other one he'd had had been in was with Ethan and that had ended tragically. "Well?"

"Every relationship is different," Justin mused. "My husband and I love sex. We have sex at least four times a day."

"Wow." Lance whistled.

"But we also have romance. I mean, we didn't always, but ever since we got back together, he's definitely been more romantic. We cuddle after sex and hold hands in front of the fireplace. He tells me everyday that he loves me."

"What, and he didn't before?"

"Actually, he didn't," Justin confessed. "It took him four years to finally tell me he loved me."

Lance's mouth dropped open. "Why did you stay with him?" Justin had often asked himself the same question.

"Because I love him," he said simply. That was the only explanation that he needed.

"Is he cute?" Lance grinned broadly.

"Beyond gorgeous," Justin replied, smiling. "Maybe you'll see him when he comes to get me later."

"Is he bringing Michael with him?" Lance tried to sound casual, but Justin was too smart for that.

"He isn't bringing Michael with him, but Michael will probably come over." Lance smiled. "You have a bit of a crush on him, don't you?"

Lance blushed. "No!" he insisted, getting up off the bed and walking over to look out the window. "I just want to thank him for letting me use his old room."

"Oh, I see." Justin smiled until Lance lost his composure and laughed.

"Okay, I have a crush on him," he admitted. "Happy?"

"Just so you know, he's married."

"Debbie mentioned that. I know that nothing will ever come of it, but it's nice to dream." He went and sat back down beside Justin on the bed. "Thank you," he said simply.

"For what?"

"Coming here. I wouldn't admit it to Deb, but I needed someone to talk to. Someone who could understand what I'm going through."

"We haven't even talked about what you're going through," Justin reminded him. "All we've talked about is boys."

"My favorite topic," Lance replied with a devilish grin. Justin couldn't help but be reminded of Brian.

* * *

A few hours later, Brian parked the car in front of Debbie's house again. He went around the back and helped Gus out, carrying him to the door. Since Brian had practically lived at the Novotny house in high school, he walked right in without knocking. Deb didn't mind. "Brian! Gus!" she squealed, taking Gus from Brian's arms and kissing his cheeks, leaving little red lipstick stains.

"Where's Justin?" Brian asked, glancing up the staircase toward Michael's room.

"He's upstairs with Lance. I think he got through to him. I could hear them up there laughing about something."

"If anyone can do it, he can," Brian replied, chewing his lip. "I'm going to go check in on him."

"Okay. I'm going to make some tea. Do you want some?"

"No, thanks." Brian called over his shoulder as he padded up the steps.

Through the door, he could hear the sound of somebody sobbing. He tapped lightly on the door. "Who is it?" Justin asked.

"The big bad wolf,' Brian replied dryly.

"Come in." Brian opened the door and froze when he saw Justin hugging a kid who could only be Lance. Lance's body was wracked with sobs and Justin simply held him, looking up at Brian. "Hey," he said.

"Hey." Lance continued to sob. "I'll come back."

"No," Justin called. "Stay. Please."

Brian grudgingly went and sat on the edge of the bed, looking everywhere but at the kid. Crying people made him uncomfortable. "Did you get Gus all right?" Justin asked, looking over at Brian.

"Yeah, he's downstairs with Deb. I better not leave him alone with her for too long, who knows what she'll turn him into."

"Yeah." A smile tugged at Justin's lips.

"Is this your husband?" Lance asked, finally prying himself away from Justin.

"This is Brian," Justin confirmed.

"Wow, he _is _beyond gorgeous," Lance agreed. Brian liked the kid already. "But I still think Michael's adorable."

Justin smiled at Brian. "He's got a bit of a crush," he explained.

"I figured." He got up from the bed. "Look, I don't want to rush you, but it's already six and Gus is starving. So whenever you're ready to go..." He didn't want to come off as petty or jealous, but he really did want to go.

"Okay, just give me a few more minutes." Justin squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"I'll be downstairs."

Brian gave Lance a tight smile and walked out of the room. He paused outside of the door, listening.

"Are you going to be okay?" Justin asked.

"I will be fine. I'm sorry I got so emotional, I feel like an idiot." Lance scoffed.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. You're going through a hard time and need all the friends you have."

Thank you...for everything."

"Glad I could help. If you ever need anything..."

"I'll have Debbie get you on the bat phone."

"See you later."

"Bye."

Brian hurried down the stairs and went into the kitchen where Debbie and Gus were sitting at the table playing cards. Michael was standing against the counter, watching. "Everything okay?" Deb asked, glancing up from the table.

"Everything's fine," Brian replied.

"Ready?" Justin asked, coming down the stairs. Even though he was glad that he could help Lance, he was ready to go spend time with his family.

"I thought you'd never ask." Brian smiled and motioned for Gus to get his shoes on.

"Did you get through to him, Sunshine?" Debbie inquired, wringing her hands nervously.

Justin nodded. "I think so, yeah. Maybe now he'll open up to you, too."

"He'd better. If he's going to live here he better not act like such a little shit!" Despite her angry tone, Debbie laughed.

"You're keeping him?" Michael asked, groaning.

"Of course I'm keeping him! He's got nowhere else to go Michael. You should have seen the way his father treated him the other night."

"Is there anything you can do?" Justin queried, holding a finger up at Brian.

"Carl says that if we could get him to testify that his dad kicked him out, maybe."

"And he doesn't want to do that?"

"No. He's absolutely fucking terrified of the guy."

"Cover your ears, Gus," Justin said.

Brian stepped forward. "What's the problem?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Michael frowned.

"Just let him stay here. You don't need to petition for custody of him."

"I know, but I want to. I figure the kid needs a mom and well, who better than me?"

"Christ," Michael muttered under his breath.

"But that takes money and unfortunately, we're still not rich."

"I can handle it," Brian assured them.

"No fucking way!" Deb exclaimed.

"I'll loan it to you…"

"No, I'm doing this on my own!"

"But lawyers and shit cost money, Deb. And you said it yourself, you're not rich."

"I'll figure it out."

"Fine."

Sighing, Brian slipped into his coat. "Talk to you guys later."

"Thanks," Deb called after him.

"Yeah." Brian arched and eyebrow and turned back to Justin. "Let's go."

Once they were in the car, Justin asked, "Were you really serious about what you said in there? About paying for the legal fees?"

"What? You don't want me to help him?" Brian shot back, careful to keep his voice low so Gus couldn't hear.

"It's not that, I just didn't think you'd want to. I mean, you don't really know him.

And it's not like you to get so involved in other's people's problems."

Brian sighed. "You want to know the real reason I care so much? I've never been able to fully forgive myself for what happened to you on prom night and...I guess I feel that if I can do this one thing to help someone like I couldn't help you...that maybe I can finally put it all behind me." He clenched his jaw at the memory of Justin's prom night. He still had nightmares about it occasionally.

"What happened wasn't your fault," Justin insisted. "If anyone is to blame it's me. I'm the one that told everyone on Liberty Avenue what Chris Hobbs let me do. How could you have known that he was going to attack me? "

"If I'd just let you come home with me that night...or walked you back inside..." His voice broke off as his vision blurred. He blinked the tears away.

Justin reached over and grabbed Brian's hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed it softly. "Thank you for doing this."

"I didn't do anything," Brian reminded him.

"No, but you offered. It shows you care."

"You know I care." Brian met Justin's gaze.

"Yeah, I know." Justin smiled.

"All right," Brian relented, taking a quick look at Justin's face. There was no way he could deny Justin the chance to help Lance out. He felt responsible for the kid and Brian couldn't fault him for that. . He reached out and stroked Justin's cheek lovingly. "Let's go home.".

"Thank you." Justin threw his arms around Brian and kissed his neck. "Thank you."

By the time they got home, Brian was thinking more rationally. Debbie wanted to deal with the issue herself. It was important for her to be able to take care of Lance on her own without assistance from anyone. She'd done with Michael and she could certainly do it again. Maybe he'd slip her some extra money as a tip the next time he was at the diner. "Are you glad to be back, Gus?" he asked when they got out of the car.

"Yeah," Gus answered, excitedly running through the foyer into the kitchen. He had been dying to see the horses since they'd landed in Pittsburgh.

"I'll be out in a minute," Brian promised. Gus opened the doors and hurried out to the stables. "Be careful!" he called after him.

"What a day," Justin muttered, sitting down on the landing of the stairs. "I'm exhausted."

"Me, too. We may only fuck four times by the time we go the bed tonight."

Justin balked. "That's not acceptable! I'm suddenly feeling recharged." He jumped to his feet, laughing.

"I have to go keep an eye on Gus," Brian reminded him. "We don't want him wandering off and getting lost or falling in the pool."

"You go do that. I'm going to go take a quick shower and change. I'll meet you guys out there."

"Wait, you're willingly going to come horseback riding with us?" Brian was surprised, since Justin hadn't seemed to enjoy it as much as he and Gus had.

"Why not? I want to spend time with my two favorite guys in the world."

"Even if it hurts your ass?"

"Especially if it hurts my ass." Justin leaned down and kissed Brian. "See you out there."

Brian headed out to the stables where Gus was petting Brownie through the gap in the stall door. "Can we ride now?" Gus asked, looking up at Brian eagerly.

"Not yet. We have to wait for Justin," Brian replied.

True to his word, Justin came out to join them. "Are you ready?" he asked Gus.

"Ready!" Gus exclaimed, climbing into the saddle. The horse trotted out.

"Ready." Brian helped Justin up and smiled. Nothing was more important than this.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Michael starts classes at Allegheny Community College. He gets his first writing assignment but has trouble finding a topic. With a little help from Ben, he finds inspiration in the unlikeliest of places. Brian, Justin, and Gus go shopping for the baby.


	74. Irritation

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Michael decided to go back to school, but couldn't decide on a major.

Melanie and Lindsay agreed to let Brian and Justin have Gus every other weekend.

Debbie rescued a young teen from his bashers and decided to take him in.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Three

Michael sat in front of his laptop, staring at the blank screen. After giving his future a lot of thought, he had decided that he was for sure going to go back to college and that he would get his degree in writing. Writing had been his passion from the time he was little and he could write and run the comic store simultaneously, which made his life much simpler.

He had re-enrolled at Allegheny Community College and been accepted. Luckily, he had just barely made the late-admittance deadline and had still been able to sign up for all of the classes he had wanted. After one day back at school, he felt just like he had never left. _Why didn't I go back sooner?_ he'd asked himself. He almost regretted dropping out in the first place, but then he reminded himself that he had only dropped out to help Debbie out with Uncle Vic.

His first assignment for his creative writing class had been to write an original short story –– true or fictional. There were no rules or guidelines for the paper such as subject matter or content, but it did have to be five and a half pages. No more, no less. While Michael had initially been thrilled about the assignment, he had come to dread it soon thereafter. He was having a hard time deciding what to write about. The only thing he had written since dropping out of college was _Rage_ and that hardly counted as an original short story.

Frustrated, he got up and went into the kitchen to get himself some coffee. He'd gotten up early that morning so that he could get some writing in before he went to work. After an hour of writing a sentence and then deleting it, he was about to give up. _When did writing become so difficult? _he wondered. When he was younger, writing had just come to him. He hadn't even had to think about it. The words had just poured out onto the paper as if of their own accord. But now, he couldn't come up with a suitable first sentence. _How times have changed_.

Ben came down the stairs and passed by Michael, kissing his cheek softly. "You're up early," he commented, taking a coffee mug from the cupboard and grabbing the coffee pot.

"I was hoping I could at least start my story before work," Michael explained.

"No luck?"

"None," Michael confirmed. "I'm so frustrated that I'm half tempted to throw the computer out the window."

"What's the problem?" Ben asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee and topping Michael's off.

"Everything!" Michael exclaimed. "I can't decide what to write about and every time I think I've got something, I can't even finish a whole sentence. I'm going out of my mind!"

Ben came up behind Michael and massaged his shoulders, willing him to calm down. "It's okay," he said softly. "You'll figure something out."

"I'm running out of time. The paper's due is less than a week and I haven't even started!"

"Michael," Ben said sternly. "These things take time. I know, trust me. Do you think I wrote my books all in one day? You have to let the words come to you, you can't force them out."

"What choice do I have? My story is for school, if I don't turn it in on time, my grade is going to drop. You didn't have that kind of pressure for your books."

"Not quite, but the publishers had me on a deadline. They weren't going to wait forever for me to write my second book."

Michael dropped his head into his hands. "I'm really starting to question whether this was the right choice. Maybe that ship has sailed and I need to give up on it."

"Well you can always switch majors," Ben reminded him.

"I'll keep that in mind. But for now, I have to finish the class. After how hard I fought to get in, I can't just drop it now." He grabbed his cup of coffee and stalked back to the computer, dropping into the seat. The blank Word document glared back at him. _I hate you,_ he thought bitterly.

"I'm going to give you some advice," Ben said, sitting down next to him. "Write what you know. It's a lot easier than coming up with something you find interesting and hope your audience will, too."

"Thanks," Michael muttered, still staring at the computer screen.

"I have to go to the gym. Are you free for lunch?"

"Sure. My ma's not at work today, she's at home taking care of what's-his-face, so we can have a nice, normal lunch without her driving us crazy."

"Sounds like a plan." Ben laughed and kissed Michael's forehead. "I'll try to help you come up with some ideas while we eat. How does that sound?"

"Great. Thanks." Michael leaned over and gave Ben a peck on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"I'll see you at lunch."

"See you then."

"Bye."

"Hunter!" Ben called up the stairs. "Time for to go!"

Hunter rushed down the stairs. "I'm coming. Why didn't you warn me that there was so much homework?" he asked, going into the kitchen and grabbing a pack of Pop-Tarts.

"I wanted you to find out for yourself," Ben replied. "Now,come on. Qe're going to be late."

"All right, dude. Chill."

"Aren't you going to say anything to Michael?" Ben pressed.

"Hi. Bye," Hunter said. He slung his bag over his shoulder and followed Ben out the door. Since Ben had finally convinced Hunter to start working out again, they had been going to the gym together. Normally, Michael would've gone with them. He hadn't been going to the gym as much as he was accustomed to and was his muscles were in desperate need of tightening up. _Damn homework!_

When the door shut, Michael enjoyed the silence for a few seconds. All the stress from his paper was giving him a headache and he wanted nothing more than to climb back in bed and forget about the whole thing. Unfortunately, it was time to go open up the comic shop. Sighing, Michael shut the computer off and grabbed his keys. There was a computer at work he could use if he needed to. At least that way, he didn't feel like he was slacking. Maybe he would get an idea at work.

On his way to the shop, Michael's mind wandered. Maybe he was over thinking the assignment way too much. He'd written plenty of short stories when he was younger. If worse came to worse, he could always use of those. It wasn't like he was cheating or anything, it was still his work. _No_, Michael decided. _I'm going to write a new short story and it is going to be great!_

As per usual, business was slow. It didn't really pick up until around lunchtime, which was still a few hours away. Michael had already put all of the new arrivals on the shelves and entered everything into the computer; the store had only been open for a half hour. If things didn't pick up soon, he would be in for an extremely long and boring day. Normally, he'd read some of the comic books to keep him entertained, but the damned writing assignment kept tugging at his subconscious.

He sat down in the chair by the window and closed his eyes for a second, willing an idea into his head. _Ben said write what you know. But what do I know? I can't exactly write a short story about Captain Astro or how I went and saw _X-Men _six times. No one would want to read about that._ _"Write what you know,_" _Ben's voice said in his head. "It's a lot easier than coming up with something you find interesting and hope your audience will, too."_

Suddenly, an idea came to him. What if he wrote about a typical night out at Babylon with his friends? Surely he could write five and a half pages about that, no problem. And the professor had said that he didn't care about sexual content or adult language. _That's a relief,_ Michael thought. _There's no way I could write about a night at Babylon with the guys and not include coarse language and sexual content. Well, maybe if I didn't include Brian..._

Michael went over to the computer and opened up a new Word document. His hands froze over the keyboard. How to start it? Chewing his lip pensively, Michael thought long and hard about the perfect opening. When it came to him, his face lit up with a confident smile. It had come to him at last and now nothing could stop him.

_The thing you need to know is, it's all about sex._

Pausing for a second, he reread the sentence. _Is it too much? _he wondered. _No!_ He grinned. This was it. He had found his story at last. His hands flew over the keys.

* * *

"Remind me again why you had to pick today to do the baby shopping," Brian said, pushing the cart behind Justin.

"You said you wanted to do something together as a family. What better than shopping for the baby?" Justin shot back, tossing a pack of pacifiers into the cart.

"We still have five and a half months until we even have to worry about this," Brian continued. He had wanted to do something as a family outside of the house. Gus had spent the whole summer there, it was time to get out and do something new and exciting. Which, in Justin's mind meant baby shopping.

"There's a sale going on," Justin explained. "Seventy-five percent off."

"I don't care about some fucking sale." Gus looked up at Brian like he'd just grown a second head. "Sorry," he muttered.

Justin sighed. "All right. You're bored, I can tell. Let's get out of here." Brian put his hands together and looked up toward the ceiling. He mouthed, 'Thank you.' "I saw that," Justin said, throwing a stuffed animal into cart.

"What the fuck is this?" Brian asked, holding up the stuffed gorilla.

"It's a stuffed gorilla," Justin answered with a smart-ass grin.

"I can see that. But why is it in our cart?"

"It's for the baby."

"Whatever." He tossed the stuffed animal back into the cart. "It's all on sale," he said facetiously.

"Yes it is, so stop being a jackass."

Brian scoffed. "I'm not being a jackass," he said. "I'm being practical."

"Would it kill you to have a little enthusiasm for this? It is your kid, too after all." Brian turned and looked at him, brows knit in confusion. Where the hell had that come from? Justin immediately regretted opening his mouth. If he didn't know Brian as well as he did, he would have missed the hurt that flickered in his eyes. _Nice one Justin_, he thought. "I'm sorry," he said, reaching out and grabbing Brian's arm. "I didn't mean it."

"Now who's being the jackass?" Brian replied, a smile tugging at his lips.

"I am." Justin heaved a sigh of relief. He had just opened the door for their first marital spat. Luckily Brian had let it go. "Now, let's get out of here." He felt terrible about what he'd say and decided to talk to Brian about it when they were alone.

After paying for all the baby stuff, they went to the mall. Gus had been patient in the baby store and Brian had decided to reward him. On their way in, they ran into Ted and Blake on their way out. "Hey," Brian said. Justin smiled at Ted and Blake.

"Hey, guys." Ted looked at the three of them with a wrinkled brow.

"What?" Brian asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Nothing," Ted replied. "It's just...don't you ever shop in West Virginia? It must be awfully inconvenient to be constantly driving back here every day."

"You can take the fags out of Pittsburgh, but you can't take the Pittsburgh out of the fags."

"Clever," Ted said dryly.

"I thought it was funny," Blake replied, chuckling.

"Anyway, we're on our way to the gym. I will get that six pack one day. See you on Monday, Bri."

"See ya." Brian watched Ted and Blake walk off. "Have you ever seen anything more pathetic?" he asked, shaking his head.

Justin fell into step beside Brian. "More pathetic than what?" He reached for Brian's hand and felt Brian's hand close around his. Apparently he wasn't mad about the comment Justin had made earlier.

"Ted. He gets married and suddenly he's king of the world. Last time I checked, I can shop wherever the fuck I want to."

"He's happy," Justin said in Ted's defense. "I guess for the first time in his life, he feels confident."

"What are you, his therapist? And since when did you two get so buddy-buddy? Usually you and Ted hardly talk."

"We talked at Babylon last week," Justin reminded him. "He's not as bad as you make him out to be. He's actually sweet."

"Well if you love him so much, why don't you go be his wife? I'm sure Blake would be happy to share him with you." Brian smiled despite his searing tone.

Justin wrapped his arm around Brian's waist. "Because, I'm in love with somebody else."

"Really? Lucky guy."

"And besides, he's not my type." Brian leaned down and pressed his lips against Justin's working his tongue into Justin's mouth. An older man walked by and cleared his throat loudly, shooting both Brian and Justin repulsed looks.

"Asshole," Justin muttered, watching the man's retreating form.

"Let it go," Brian murmured. "He's not worth it."

"You're right. I'm starting to understand my Mel and Linds wanted to get out of here."

Gus wanted to look at the toys, so Brian and Justin stifled their passion long enough for him to go pick something out. "Look, Daddy"! Gus exclaimed, running up to Brian, excitedly clutching an action figure box to his chest.

"What is it?" Brian asked, crouching down so that he and Gus were eye-to-eye.

"It's the new Batman." Gus held the action figure out for Brian to inspect.

"Wow, he looks...a lot hotter than he did back in the eighties."

"What do you mean?" Justin inquired, looking at the toy.

"Just look at his body. He used to be scrawny, but now his abs are better than mine."

"Oh, don't worry about it, I still think your abs are hot."

"Well at least someone does." Brian handed the action figure back to Gus. "Do you want it?" he asked. Gus nodded his head. "Then it's yours, Sonny Boy."

They walked through the mall, but there weren't really any stores that held Gus's interest. "Is there anywhere you want to look?" Brian asked. Justin opened his mouth, but Brian cut him off. "Besides the baby stores. If I have to see one more breast pump today, I'm going to barf."

"I promise I won't make you look at any more baby stuff. We got everything we need anyway, so your patience paid off."

"So we can leave?" Brian's voice was hopeful. He didn't mind shopping in moderation, but he had passed his limit about fifteen miles back.

"We can leave," Justin yielded.

"We have one more stop to make before we go home," Brian announced as they made their way out to the car.

"Where?" Justin could tell that Brian had had enough and was ready to go home. So, where would he want to go?

"I want to stop by the comic store and see Michael. If Gus is into Batman, I thought maybe Michael could recommend a few so Gus could start a collection. They could be worth something someday."

When they pulled up outside of the comic shop, Gus raced inside. Brian was about to follow his in when Justin caught his arm. "Can we talk?" he asked, scratching his chin nervously.

"Okay." Brian caught Michael's eye through the shop window and Michael nodded in understanding. Gus was in his care.

"About what I said earlier..." Justin began, his cheeks on fire.

"About me having enthusiasm for baby shopping?" Brian asked, chewing his bottom lip.

"Yeah. I just want you to know that I really am sorry about that and I did not mean it. At all."

"You already apologized," Brian reminded him with a faint smile.

"I know, but I want to do it again. I feel bad. You've been incredibly supportive about everything and it wasn't fair for me to accuse you of not doing your share. I know that I'm being a little obsessive about all this, but the wait is driving me crazy. At least if I'm doing something toward getting the house ready, I feel like the wait isn't that long."

Brian reached out and stroked Justin's cheek lovingly. "You were right, though," he said softly. "I haven't been very enthusiastic about getting the house ready or buying the supplies. It's not that I don't want to, it's just...this is all new to me. When Lindsay was pregnant with Gus, I had absolutely nothing to do with anything. I supplied the sperm and that was that."

"It's all new to me, too," Justin assured him, taking Brian's hand and holding it to his chest. "Neither of us knows what do to. But the good news is that we can go through it and learn together."

"There's no one else I'd rather go through this with," Brian whispered, his eyes sparkling.

"Me neither." Justin grabbed the collar of Brian's shirt and pulled him down so that they could kiss. When their lips met, Justin felt an electric shock surge through his body. He didn't want the kiss to end. Unfortunately, it did.

Michael opened the door and stuck his head out. "Are you here for any particular reason or did you just stop by to pawn Gus off on me so you two can make out on the street?"

"Wow, Mikey, what is it, that time of the month?" Brian retorted, pushing his way past Michael.

"No, it's just that I have this really important paper due in my creative writing class and I finally got my creative flow going."

"I don't want to know about your creative flow," Brian said dryly, plopping down in a chair.

Justin went over and looked at the _Rage_ display. "It's been awhile since we came out with a new issue," he commented, picking up one of the comics and flipping through it.

"I'd like to do another one soon," Michael said, "but after I finish my paper, okay?"

"Okay, Mikey, relax. We'll leave." Brian got back to his feet and headed toward the door.

"I'm sorry." Michael sighed. "What can I do for you guys?"

"I want to start a comic book collection for Gus," Brian began. "He likes Batman and I was hoping you could recommend some to us."

"Really?" Michael's face lit up with joy. He and Brian had used to read comics together, but Brian had eventually outgrown them and Michael was always looking for another person to share his passion with.

Brian laughed. "Yes really. Now can you help us or not? You have a paper to write, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah." He went over to the rack and pulled a couple of comics out. "I don't have any of the older ones, but I have a lot of the newer ones. He should like these." He handed the comics over to Brian, who glanced at them before setting down on the counter. Gus came over to see.

"We'll take them." He handed the money to Michael. "Thanks, Mikey."

"Anytime. Bye, guys." Brian and Justin waved on their way out the door.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian takes Gus back home. Justin and Debbie convince Lance to testify that his father kicked him out so that Debbie can petition for guardianship.


	75. Heart to Heart

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **While out baby shopping, Justin got snippy with Brian.

Debbie saved a young gay teen named Lance and decided to take him in.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Four

The next day, Gus had to go back home. That was the bad thing about getting him only on weekends––they went by too fast. _It's better than not seeing him at all_, Brian told himself as he rolled out of bed. At least this time he knew that he'd be seeing Gus again in two weeks. That helped abate the hurt and guilt that he had felt the last time.

Justin was still asleep as per usual. They had had a long night of intense make up sex. _We should snip at each other more often_, he thought with a smile. He glanced over at Justin and gently kissed the top of his head. Justin didn't even stir. Laughing to himself, Brian got up.

Gus was already up and watching TV. "Are you hungry?" Brian asked, sitting down on Gus's bed.

"Not yet," Gus replied, eyes glued to the TV. In his hand, he clutched the Batman action figure Brian had bought him the day before. He had talked to Gus and convinced him to let him put the comic books away in his bedroom so that they would stay in mint condition. _At least I won't have to listen to Lindsay and Melanie bitching me out for spoiling him. All he's going home with is an eight dollar action figure. That's hardly spoiling._

Brian was starving. He figured that if he started on breakfast, by the time it was done, Gus would be hungry and Justin would be awake. He didn't cook all that often, mostly because he hated doing it and he hadn't inherited his mother's skills in the kitchen, but with Justin still snoring away up in the bedroom, someone had to do it. Luckily for Brian, waffles were his specialty, and they weren't that hard to make.

By the time he had finished making the food, Gus had come down to look for something to eat. "I'm hungry, Daddy," he said, padding into the kitchen.

"Just a minute," Brian promised. "I have to finish making the orange juice." Gus went and sat at the table, amusing himself with his toy. When the pitcher was full of freshly squeezed juice, Brian brought it into the dining room and set it in the center of the table. "You can get your own food, right, Gus?" he asked.

"Uh huh." Gus used his fork to spear a couple of waffles.

"Good boy." Brian tousled his hair and went upstairs to wake up Sleeping Beauty. It was still a marvel to him that someone as young as Justin could need so much sleep. When he'd been Justin's age, he had stayed up all night partying at Babylon and gotten up for class bright and early. Hell, even at thirty-four he could pull an all nighter and still be up and ready for work at 7:30.

He opened the door quietly and slipped back into bed. Justin had shifted in his sleep so that his back was to him.

Wrapping his arms around Justin, Brian nuzzled the back of his neck and kissed it. Justin opened his eyes and rolled over to face Brian. "Good morning," he whispered, immediately alert.

"Good morning," Brian whispered back. He leaned in and crushed his lips against Justin's recalling the passion that they had shared the night before. "I made breakfast," he said when the kiss ended.

"You did? It must be my lucky day," Justin joked. "A night of great sex and breakfast. How did I ever get so lucky?"

"Come on, it's getting cold." Brian pulled Justin out of bed and handed him his bathrobe. "You'd better put this on, I don't think Gus could handle the sight of your dick."

They went downstairs and joined Gus at the table. The boy had a pretty healthy appetite for someone so little. He'd already eaten three waffles. "There's more in the kitchen," Brian assured him. "Have as many as you like."

"These are good," Justin said, taking a bite. Maybe you should cook more often."

"I think I'll let you keep the position of chef," Brian replied, sipping his juice.

"You underestimate yourself," Justin continued. "You've never made anything that I didn't like."

"That's because you haven't had enough of my cooking to find something you don't like. Trust me, we're both better off if you're the one doing the cooking."

"Whatever you say."

After breakfast, Brian jumped in the shower. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before due to the makeup sex, and his muscles were sore from the exertion. As he stepped under the showerhead, he felt the hot water beading down on his tired muscles, soothing the stiffness away. _This is almost better than sex_, he thought, closing his eyes in ecstasy.

The shower door opened and Justin came in, letting the bathrobe fall to the floor. "Can I join you?" he asked, a seductive grin dominating his face.

"Anytime," Brian replied, pulling him under the fall of water. "Where's Gus?"

"Watching a movie," Justin answered, leaning back so that the hot water could open the pores of his face. The last thing he needed were pimples. Brian would hardly want to fuck him if he looked like a pubescent teenager. "That leaves us with just enough time to get a little dirty before we get cleaned up." His eyes shone lustily.

Brian grinned and turned Justin around so that he was behind him. "Are you sure you're up for this?" he asked, running his tongue down the back of Justin's neck. Justin took Brian's hand and put it on his cock.

"I'm definitely up for it," he said, his voice husky. "But I want to talk to you about something before we get too involved." He turned around to face Brian.

"What?" Brian asked, pulling back slightly. It must be serious if Justin was putting it before sex.

"I know I said that I could still make the flight today..."

"You're not canceling on me again, are you?" Brian asked with mock anger.

"Sorry." Justin sighed. "Debbie said that there was going to be a lineup today and that Lance was going to identify his attackers. If he could be coerced into doing that, maybe I can still convince him to let Debbie petition for custody."

The night before, Justin had called Melanie and asked for advice on the case. She had given him a referral to lawyer friend of hers in Pittsburgh and told him that with the right lawyer and a sympathetic judge, they had a real chance of winning the case, even though there were no witnesses to the bashers' brutality and Martin's cold-heartedness.

Brian nodded. "You do what you have to do," he said. "I won't stop you."

"Thank you." Justin laced his fingers through Brian's.

"But I should warn you that it's going to cost you." Brian arched his eyebrows.

"How much?" Justin asked, putting his hand on his hip.

"Let me see...you did let me down twice now, but since you were more than generous last night I'll be kind." He grinned. "Ten blow jobs."

"That's all?" Justin waved it off. "I'd gladly do that."

"I can add more on if you want," Brian replied.

"No. Ten's fine." Justin smiled sweetly.

"Ten it is."

"Shall we start now?" Justin started to kneel. Brian smiled and closed his eyes.

Twenty minutes later, they got out of the shower, feeling rejuvenated. "Where did you learn to do that?" Brian asked.

"You," Justin answered simply, pulling a shirt on.

"Oh, yeah." Brian looked at his reflection in the mirror. "We're still going to do this when the baby comes, right?"

"Of course." Justin met Brian's eye in the mirror. "We'll just have to time it around the baby. When she's down for her nap, we can fuck in the shower all we want."

"Good. I don't want our life to change any more than necessary."

"It won't," Justin assured him. "No matter what, we'll always have sex."

Brian sighed. "I'm not just talking about sex," he said. "We both know what no sex does to a relationship. What I meant was having time together. Where we can talk and keep the flame going." He laughed at the absurdity of what he was saying. "And fuck."

"Wow, Brian, that was incredibly romantic. For you," Justin teased.

"I'm serious," Brian said, stepping in front of Justin.

"I thought you weren't going to heed my mother's warning. You said it wouldn't happen to us," Justin reminded him.

"Yeah, well I believed that wholeheartedly. Until yesterday."

"Oh."

Justin looked down at his feet. After everything he'd done to get where he was, he'd blown it. Brian had never had any doubts until he had opened his big mouth and stirred shit up. "That was a one time thing," he said, looking up into Brian's eyes. "I don't even know why I said it."

"I know." Brian held up a hand. "But it got me thinking. Maybe this isn't going to be as easy as I thought it was."

"But you still want this, right?" Justin asked, his heart pounding in his chest.

"I still want to have a family with you," Brian confirmed. "We're just going to have to do our best to find time for ourselves so we can talk things out before they fester to the point where we fight."

"We will," Justin promised. "No matter what."

They were just about to kiss when Gus burst into the room. "Is everything okay?" Brian asked.

"You were gone for a really long time," Gus replied, holding Brian's legs in his arms.

"I told you I was going to take a shower," Brian reminded him softly.

"Why do you take such long showers, Daddy?" Gus looked at Brian inquiringly. "Mommy takes quick ones."

Brian and Justin exchanged amused looks. How to answer that? "Well, Gus...I take long showers because..." He searched his brain for a suitable answer. Nothing was coming to him. Why the fuck did kids have ask so many questions?

"It's a guy thing," Justin interjected. "You'll understand when you're older."

"Yes," Brian agreed, smiling at Justin. _Nice save_.

"Okay." Gus let go of Brian's legs.

"Do you have everything ready to go?" Brian asked Gus. Their flight was in an hour and they had to get going. Gus nodded. "Okay, why don't you go get your shoes on and Justin and I will be right down."

Gus did as he was told. "That was close," Justin muttered. "I guess we're going to have to get used to questions like that."

"Do you think it's too late to change our minds?" Brian teased.

"A little bit." Justin laughed. "The goods news is we still have plenty of time to prepare ourselves."

"You sound like me." Brian grinned.

"Maybe you were right after all. There's nothing wrong with waiting." He draped his arm over Brian's shoulder. "The baby isn't going to be here tomorrow."

"You are so adorable when you admit defeat," Brian joked. "Now come on, we have to get going before we miss our flight."

* * *

Just over half an hour later, Brian parked in front of Debbie's house. "Here we are again," he muttered, looking over at Justin. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's not too late to change your mind."

"I'm sure. But I promise that next time I'm all yours." He opened the car door but didn't get out.

"Good luck," Brian said, his tone gentle. "If anyone can talk him into it, it's you."

"Thanks." He leaned across the seat and kissed Brian. "Have a safe flight."

"Safe, yes, fun, no."

"You'll manage." Justin got out of the car. "Bye, Gus." He waved at Gus through the window.

"Bye," Gus replied, waving sadly. Apparently he didn't want to go home. _Hopefully Brian doesn't come home as upset as he did the last time. I don't know if I have enough energy to make it through another marathon fuckfest. _Shutting the door, Justin watched Brian round the corner.

As he went through the front gate and raised his hand to knock, Debbie and Lance pulled into the driveway. "Hey, Sunshine!" Debbie trilled, getting out of the car. "I'm glad you could make it."

"I take it everything went okay, then?" Justin asked, glancing at Lance anxiously.

"More than okay. He identified the little fuckers and now they're facing jail time."

"That's great!"

"Then why don't I feel great?" Lance shuffled up onto the porch.

"What do you mean, honey?" Debbie exchanged confused looks with Justin. "I thought for sure you'd be jumping for joy. The bastards aregoing to pay for what they did to you."

"Well I'm not," Lance snipped. "I didn't think it was possible, but I feel worse. I feel like the little tattle tale from kindergarten."

Justin smiled encouragingly. "You should be proud of yourself. You stood up for yourself instead of letting them get away with it. I think that's very noble."

"I'm sure as hell proud of you, Lance," Debbie said, rubbing the kid's back. "Not many people could have done what you did today."

"Thanks, guys." Lance smiled for the first time since going to the police station. "I never could have done this without you."

"Don't mention it," Deb said.

"Yeah, Deb's got a heart of gold," Justin assured Lance. "She loves to take us in and raise us as her own."

"I noticed," Lance joked. "I don't think anybody's ever taken as good of care of me as Deb does. My dad certainly doesn't." Debbie frowned. "Didn't," Lance corrected himself.

At the mention of his father, all of the light vanished from Lance's face. Justin could understand exactly what he was going through. Even though his father had disowned him and threw him out on the street, he still loved him and wanted him in his life. Justin had felt the same way at first, until he had understood just how much of an asshole his father was and took Brian's advice and cut him out of his life. The only difference in Justin's situation was that he had had Brian to make up for the empty hole his father's absence had left.

Debbie ushered them into the house and set to work cooking; that was what she always did when people were over. Lance disappeared upstairs and Justin joined Debbie in the kitchen. "Are they going to let you keep him?" he asked, keeping his voice low so that Lance couldn't hear.

"I don't know, Sunshine. I could probably keep him here without the police or social services knowing, but he needs to finish school. I'd love to be his foster mother, the poor kid needs someone in his life to love him."

"It's pretty lonely around here with Emmett gone, isn't it?" Justin asked.

He understood that Debbie loved having someone to take care of––Vic, Carl, Emmett. But now that Vic was dead, Carl had recovered from his stroke, and Emmett was out on his own, she had no one to look after but herself. And that drove her crazy. If she wasn't taking care of somebody, she didn't know what to do.

"It sure is, Sunshine," Debbie admitted. "I'd go and see Michael more often, but after the last time I was over there all the time, I don't think it's such a good idea. I don't want to get in another fight with him."

"I'm sure you could petition to be Lance's foster parent. His father doesn't want him and it isn't like he has anywhere else to go."

"I'll have to talk it over with Carl," Deb mused. "I don't know how he'd feel about it."

"He didn't mind having Emmett here, I'm sure he wouldn't mind Lance."

"You're probably right." Debbie looked upward. "I just wish he'd do something about his dad. That asshole deserves to rot behind bars along with the assholes that bashed him.

Justin stood up. "Let me go talk to him. He might listen to me now that we've talked. He trusts me."

"Go ahead, Sunshine. Just don't get your hopes up too much."

"We'll see." Justin went up the stairs and saw that the door to Michael's old room was open. Lance was sitting on the bed, staring out the window. "Hey," he said, sitting down next to him.

"Hey," Lance replied.

"Look, I'm not going to tell you what do, but do you really want your dad to get away with what he did to you?"

Lance rolled his eyes. "Will you just drop it already?" he demanded. "I don't want to do it and that's that."

"But why?" Justin pressed. "You didn't let those kids get away with it, so why let him?"

"He's my father," Lance confessed. "Even though he treats me like shit and wants nothing to do with me, I still love him." He looked away from the window and Justin could see the tears in his eyes.

"I was the same way," Justin told him. "But after mine had me arrested, I finally got the big picture: he doesn't care about me and unless I wanted to be hurt for the rest of my life by that, I had to cut him out. For the sake of my well being."

Lance was silent for a minute. "But what if he changes his mind? What if deep down, he feels bad about what he did and just can't say it? If I got his parental rights revoked, he'd never be able to forgive me."

"Can you forgive yourself for letting him hurt you?" Justin shot back. "For treating you like you're shit because you like dick instead of pussy?" He was getting frustrated with Lance. What would it take for him realize that his father wanted nothing to do with him and never would? "You have to make your own decision, I just want you to do what's best for you."

Justin turned and headed toward the door. "Wait," Lance called, holding out his arm. Justin turned and arched his eyebrow quizzically. "I'll do it," he relented, sighing.

"Good for you." Justin immediately felt better. "I talked to a lawyer friend of mine and she gave me a referral for a lawyer who can help you."

"I can't afford a lawyer," Lance admitted, his face flushing with embarrassment.

"All you have to do is give the lawyer a dollar," Justin said. "And she's all yours."

"You're kidding, right?" Lance asked, laughing in disbelief.

"I'm not kidding," Justin assured him. "Now come on, let's go tell Deb. She'll make you a cake or something."

Lance fell into step behind Justin. "Thank you for everything. I know that you have better things to do than play counselor."

"Don't talk like that," Justin replied. "I'm doing this because I want to help you."

"Your husband is very lucky to have you," Lance said.

"No, I'm the lucky one," Justin assured him. "I owe everything to him." With a smile, he put his arm around Lance's shoulder amicably and together they went to tell Debbie the news.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Michael gets his short story back and his professor has a proposition for him. Justin has his first official meeting with clients as an employee of Kinnetik.


	76. Possibilities

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Michael decided to go back to school and get a degree in writing. His first assignment was to write a short story. Although he initially had problems finding a topic, he settled on writing about a night out at Babylon with the guys.

Brian offered Justin a position at Kinnetik.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Five

A few weeks later, Michael was sitting in his creative writing class, drumming his fingers nervously. The professor was in the process of handing back their writing assignments and he wasn't sure how to feel. When he had handed the paper in, he'd felt confident that he had done well, but as time when on, his anxiety had overcome his confidence, leaving him a nervous wreck.

As the professor made his way toward him, Michael could feel his pulse quickening, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Suddenly his mouth was drier than a desert and sweat broke out on his forehead. _Great, just what I need––a panic attack!_ Michael willed himself to breathe; he'd die of embarrassment if he passed out. "Are you all right Mr. Novotny?" the professor asked, halting in front of Michael.

"Yeah, I-I'm fine," Michael lied, his voice cracking. He forced himself to smile. "Thank you."

"Can I see you after class?" the professor asked, deliberately holding Michael's paper back.

"Sure." _Shit! Fuck! I knew I should've have included so much sexual content and coarse language. Well, there goes your chance of getting your degree. You really are pathetic!_

The rest of the class went by agonizingly slowly. Michael was practically hyperventilating in his seat. _Calm down_, he ordered himself. But he couldn't. All he could think about was what Professor Doherty had to say about his paper. He looked over at the clock on the wall for the millionth time and exhaled sharply. Class was over. "Class is dismissed," Professor Doherty said from his desk. "See you all next week."

The class cleared quickly and Michael gingerly stood and walked down to the professor's desk. "You wanted to see me?" he asked, wringing his hands. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so nervous. _Why can't I be more like Brian? _he wondered. Brian never let any emotion show, and at that moment, Michael would gladly possess that quality.

"Yes. Please sit." Professor Doherty motioned for Michael to sit in the seat across from him. Michael complied and started to tap his feet. Professor Doherty shot an irritated look down at the ground and Michael immediately stopped.

"So..." Michael began, unsure of what to say. "Is there something wrong with my paper?"

Professor Doherty looked at Michael with a blank face for a few seconds before a faint smile tugged at his lips. "On the contrary, Mr. Novotny."

"Michael," Michael corrected. Hearing himself called 'Mr. Novotny,' had always freaked him out a little.

"Michael," Professor Doherty amended. "I have to say that your short story was the best one I've read in all the years I've been teaching this class."

"Really?" Michael squeaked.

_I must be dreaming, _he thought, discreetly pinching his arm. Strangely, he found that he was wide-awake. Was Professor Doherty pulling his leg? "You're not kidding, are you?"

"I never kid," Professor Doherty replied. To prove his point, he wiped the smile off his face.

"I don't know what to say," Michael said, laughing in disbelief.

"You don't have to say anything. I should be the one thanking you. Your paper saved me from going out of my mind reading all of these papers."

"You really enjoyed it that much?" Michael asked, finding it hard that an evidently straight man was praising his short story about his adventures at Babylon with the gang.

Professor Doherty leaned forward in his seat conspiratorially. "To be honest with you, I felt like I was reading an actual novel. It was witty, raunchy, funny...I could go on all day about how wonderful it was. You really have a lot of talent, which is something I don't see very often anymore."

"Thank you so much!" Michael beamed. He had spent so much time worrying about the paper and in the end he'd had no reason to worry about it.

"Have you ever thought about writing a novel?" Professor Doherty asked.

"Me?" Michael laughed. "No. Anymore, the only writing I do is for this comic book I co-created with my friend Justin. It's called _Rage_."

"Yes, I've heard of it. Very impressive."

"Thank you."

"Quite frankly Michael, I think you're wasting your time in this class. If you wanted to, you could write professionally."

Michael blushed at the compliments. "You really think I could make a novel out of my short story?" he asked, grinning at the idea. It wasn't a comic book, but if he could write a novel about his experiences, maybe it could help people understand more about gay life and promote tolerance.

"I think you could," Doherty replied. "Your story has everything that makes a good novel. And if you decide you want to, which I encourage you to do, I know a publisher in New York who would gladly take a look at the material. If you want, I'll send a copy to him and see what he says."

"Oh, my God!" Michael gasped, jumping up from his seat. He didn't think it was possible, but his heart was beating even faster than it had been a short while before when he'd been panicking.

Doherty laughed. "Calm down, Michael. It was only a suggestion," he teased, laughing for the first time that Michael could remember.

"Can I get back to you?" Michael asked, chewing his lip.

"Of course you can. Take your time and think it over. You can even start writing it now and wait until you have your degree to publish it if that would make you more comfortable."

"Yeah." Michael licked his lips to moisten them. "Yeah," he repeated. "I'll think about it and get back to you."

"You do that." Doherty shook Michael's hand. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to be at the faculty meeting."

"Oh, Professor Doherty," Michael called after him.

"Yes?"

"Can I have my paper back?" Michael grinned sheepishly.

"Of course. Here you go." Doherty handed him the paper and rushed out of the room.

Outside in the courtyard, Michael pulled out his cell phone. He had to talk to Ben immediately. After a few rings, Ben picked up. "What's up, honey?" he asked. As soon as he heard Ben's voice, Michael relaxed a little.

"Ben, are you busy right now?" Michael inquired, biting his fingernail.

"Not particularly. Why?"

"Can you meet me at the diner in like, ten minutes?"

"Sure. Is everything okay?" Ben's voice sound panicked.

"Everything is fine," Michael assured him. "So, I'll see you in ten minutes?"

"See you, then."

He considered calling Brian to share the news but decided against it. Brian had said something about having a very important meeting that day and Michael didn't want to interrupt. _I can tell him later_, he decided. _Maybe I'll invite Brian and Justin over for dinner some night. Justin did say that he wanted to do another issue of _Rage_. Hopefully things will settle down soon with Lance and we can all go back to our lives._

Michael got to the diner first and sat in a booth facing the door, keeping an anxious eye on the door. "Are you sure I can't get you something sweetie?" Debbie asked, sitting across from him.

"I'm fine for now, Ma. But thanks," he replied, not looking away from the door.

"Michael, are you feeling okay?" She reached across the table and felt Michael's forehead.

"I feel great."

"You're burning up," Debbie commented. "I'm going to get you a butter crunch sundae, I'll be right back." She got up and vanished into the back.

Luckily, Ben strolled through the door a few seconds later. "Hey," he said, dropping down into the seat across from Michael. "You sounded upset on the phone. What's going on?"

"Do you remember that short story I had to do for my creative writing class?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah...the one you were having trouble starting."

"Right. Well, I took your advice and wrote about what I know. I wrote about a typical night at Babylon for me and guys."

"How did that go over with your professor?" Ben asked, frowning. "I can't imagine a straight man liked reading about it."

Michael grinned. "He loved it. He said it was the best short story he had ever read in his time as a teacher and talked to me about writing a novel."

"Michael, that's wonderful!" Ben jumped up and grabbed Michael, enveloping him in a bear hug. He planted a kiss on Michael's forehead. "I am so proud of you!"

"What did he do now?" Debbie joked, setting a bowl of ice cream in front of Michael spot at the table.

"He's going to write a novel!" Ben exclaimed.

"Holy shit!" Debbie screamed. "Is this for real?"

"Well, I haven't said yes yet, but..." Michael braced himself for the aftershock.

"My son's going to be an author!" Everyone in the diner turned to look at the scene. Michael sank back down into his seat and blushed puce.

Debbie sat down next to him. "Give me all the dirty details," she demanded, her face glowing with excitement. "I want to know absolutely everything. When's it coming out? What's it about? Am I in it?"

"Well, we don't anything for sure yet, but the professor said that he thinks I could really do it and that he had a publisher friend in New York that would be willing to publish it for me."

"Good for you, Michael!" Deb hugged him fiercely. "I always knew you'd accomplish your dreams." Her eyes teared up and she swiped at her eye. "Oh Jesus. Look at me, crying like a goddamn baby. I am so proud of you, honey."

"Thanks, Ma." As the tears fell, Debbie scampered off to the bathroom.

Ben watched Debbie leave with an amused grin. Even though she sometimes got on his nerves, he loved having her as his mother-in-law. "So," he said. "Do you think you'll do it?"

"I don't know," Michael admitted, eating a spoonful of his ice cream. "I have to think about it."

"Well whatever you do, I'll stand behind you," Ben assured him, squeezing his hand affectionately.

"Thanks, honey." Michael leaned across the table and kissed Ben. "That means a lot to me."

He settled back into his seat. He had a lot of thinking to do, but he knew that in the end, no matter what he decided, it would be the right decision.

* * *

Justin sighed contentedly. He and Brian had just finished having sex in Brian's office. "It's a good thing I'm not under review anymore," he commented, pulling his pants back up. "I don't know how we managed to make it through the summer without getting caught."

"We must have good timing," Brian replied, buttoning his shirt. "Or it could be the fact that I had Cynthia keep an eye out for them."

"You did?" Justin smiled. "That was very astute of you."

"What choice did I have? I wasn't about to abstain from fucking at work and I couldn't have you getting in trouble again."

"So it was in my best interest, right?" Justin teased.

"I'd like to say it was in our best interest," Brian shot back. He sat back in his chair and straightened his tie.

Justin sat on the edge of the desk and looked Brian in the eye. "I went and saw Daphne while I was out for lunch."

"Oh?" Brian arched an eyebrow. "How is she?"

"Good."

"And the baby?"

"I got to feel her kick." Justin's face lit up with a broad grin. Brian couldn't hold back his own smile. "I felt _our_ baby kick!"

"I wish I could've been there," Brian admitted. "How was it?"

"It felt amazing." Brian chuckled. "Not like that!" Justin swatted Brian's arm. "It felt nice. Like she knew I was there or something."

Brian grabbed Justin's hand and squeezed it. "Next time you go you'll have to get one of those microphone things so you can talk to her," he teased.

"I'm not that crazy," Justin insisted. "I don't expect her to recognize my voice or anything."

"Uh huh." Brian raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"I'm meeting her again later in the week. You can come if you want, maybe you'll feel the baby kick, too."

"As long as I'm not stuck here working, I'd love to go with you."

"Thanks." Justin leaned in and pressed his lips against Brian's. "It's going to change your perspective completely."

"We'll see."

Justin's hands started to explore Brian's body. Prodding. "We can't," Brian whispered, forcing the words out of his mouth.

"Why not?" Justin asked, his voice heavy.

"We have the Dellmont Fashions campaign to finish and we only have twenty minutes before they get here."

"I thought we had already finished it."

"We have."

"Then what's the problem?"

"We still have to go over the pitch, make sure that everything is set before we do the presentation. This is your first official campaign as part of the company, you want everything to be perfect, don't you?"

Justin sighed. "Yes. You're right. I'll grab my design." He got down off the desk.

"Good boy." Justin shot Brian the bird while he dug through his bag for the design he'd come up with after the initial meeting with the head of the company. Their new line of clothing bringing back the fashions from the past was about to hit the stores and they wanted an old fashioned 1950s-esque ad, hoping to catch the attention of the older consumers by reminding them of their youth or something. Justin had complied, pouring over samples for that decade online. He had based his own designs off of the works of Eduardo Paolozzi and Andy Warhol. Pulling the print out, he handed it to Brian. "What you think?" he asked, watching Brian's face intently.

Brian's eyes scoured the print, taking in every detail. Justin had drawn people in the pop art oeuvre wearing the clothing that if the campaign went well would soon be making a comeback. As much as he wanted to be easy on Justin, he knew that in order for Justin to succeed in the business, he had to be honest, even if it wasn't always what he wanted to hear. He took a deep breath before answering. "I think it's great," he answered, smiling tightly at Justin.

"You do?" Justin eyed Brian skeptically. "You're not just saying that so I'll still blow you?"

"Justin, I wouldn't have hired you if I didn't know for a fact that you have the talent to do your job. This here," he held up the print, "just proves that I was right, so relax. It's just what we wanted."

Justin beamed. Brian's opinion matter to him a lot more than anyone else's. The only problem was, in the advertising business, it was ultimately the client's opinion that mattered, not the boss's. "But is it what they wanted, though?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"We won't know for sure until they tell us, but you did everything they wanted, so there's no reason for them not to like it. It's exactly what they asked for."

"Okay so that took two minutes, we still have thirteen before they get here," Justin said, changing the subject.

"You just won't quit, will you?" Brian laughed. "You're almost as bad as I am."

"You taught me everything you know," Justin reminded him. "It was only a matter of time before we were equals."

Brian nodded. "So, we're equals now, are we?" he asked, folding his hands on the desktop. "Because I thought you still had a ways to go before you were anywhere near me."

"Really?" Justin moved over onto Brian's lap. "I thought I was almost there." He slid his hand down the front of Brian's pants.

"You're there," Brian said, grinning wickedly.

They fooled around right up until Cynthia knocked on the door. Clearing his throat, Brian zipped his fly back up. Justin rose and stood behind Brian's chair, leaning over his shoulder as if they were talking. "Brian?" Cynthia said, coming into the room. "Mr. Dellmont is here." She caught Brian's eye and nodded knowingly.

"Thanks, Cynthia," Brian said with a wicked smile. "Mr. Dellmont," Brian held out his hand for Mr. Dellmont to shake, "It's nice to see you again."

"Thanks, Brian. Now what have you got for me?"

Mr. Dellmont sat down across from Brian and eyed Justin suspiciously. He'd gotten the impression that the blond kid was somehow involved with Brian, even though Brian didn't seem like a faggot; he was too masculine. _I guess it takes all kinds_, he thought resignedly. As long as they didn't fuck up his new line, he didn't care what they did in their spare time.

Justin handed the model to Brian. "When you came to Kinnetik, you said you wanted an ad campaign that would reign in the older buyers and make the new buyers feel like they were actually back in the 1950s," Brian said, watching Mr. Dellmont.

"That's correct." Dellmont nodded his head.

"We've designed an ad campaign that we hope does just that." He flipped the model around so that Dellmont could see it. "If this can't bring back those memories, I don't know that will."

Dellmont looked at the ad and nodded. "I like it. It's exactly what we were looking for. I'll be honest with you, Mr. Kinney. I didn't put much faith in our meeting. You ad men these days are all crap these days, no offense." Brian waved it off. "But I see that there's still some natural talent left. You are definitely going to be getting my business in the future," he said with a wink.

"Thank you, that's very generous." Brian shook his hand. "We'll get to work on finalizing everything and get back to you by the end of the week."

"Thanks, Brian."

"Don't thank me, thank the man who designed it." Brian put his arm around Justin. "This is Justin Taylor."

"Nice to meet you," Justin said, shaking Dellmont's hand.

"Pleasure. I'd love to stay and chat, but unfortunately I have a meeting with the designers. Thanks again."

He spun on his heel and left. "That went well," Brian commented, tousling Justin's hair. "He loved you."

"How could you tell?" Justin retorted. "As soon as you introduced me, he ran."

"I know because he'd be crazy not to." Brian leaned down and pressed his lips against Justin's.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **As Debbie is awarded custody of Lance, the boys decide to take him out for a celebration, introducing him to the wonders of Liberty Avenue. Brian and Justin make a bet.


	77. The Wonders of Liberty Avenue

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Debbie saved a gay teen from being bashed and decided to take him in. After learning that his father had kicked him out , she decided to petition for custody of him.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Six

The next week, the gang sat in Deb's living room. Debbie, Carl, and Lance were at court waiting for the decision to be reached about Lance's dad and whether or not Deb would be granted the right to be Lance's foster parent. "Don't they normally do these kinds of things during the day?" Emmett asked, yawning from boredom. He'd been there all day and was itching to get out of the house before he went insane.

"Usually," Ted confirmed, checking his watch again.

"Then why are they doing it at six o'clock in the evening? Don't they anywhere else to be at this time of night?"

"Maybe they had a busy day today?" Ted suggested.

Brian and Justin sat on the couch, passing a joint back and forth. "Relax, Emmett. They should be home anytime now," Brian said snidely.

"How can you be so calm?" Michael exclaimed. He was pacing back and forth in front of Brian and Justin. Even though he had been loath to admit it, in the past couple of weeks, he had come to feel a slight brotherly affection for Lance. The fact that it was important to his mother only made him more nervous. "There's a chance that his dad could get away with abandoning him. It isn't like there are that many straight people on our side." Michael started to wring his hands. What the fuck was taking so long?

"Here," Brian held out the joint. "This will make you nice and calm, Mikey. Guaranteed."

"Thanks." Michael accepted the joint and took a hit before handing it back. He waited a few seconds for the pot to work its way into his system. "I still don't feel better."

"I have a Valium," Emmett offered, digging in his pocket for the pill. "It's in here somewhere."

"Thanks, but no, thanks." Michael waved it off. "I don't want to be a zombie."

Brian rolled his eyes. "Will you sit the fuck down, you're making me dizzy."

"Sorry." Michael plopped down next to Brian.

"Then, maybe you should lay off the pot," Emmett suggested. "That kills brain cells, you know."

"Does it? I had no idea. Hmmm, I've been smoking pot for about twenty years now and I don't think I've lost that many brain cells."

"Yeah, right," Ted mumbled. Brian chose to ignore him. Justin patted his knee comfortingly.

Suddenly the front door burst open and in walked Debbie, followed by Lance and Carl. "Well?" Michael shot to his feet. "How did it go?"

"Ask her." Carl nodded toward Deb.

"You don't want to know," Debbie replied, her expression downcast.

"What happened?" Michael felt a wave of disappointment wash over him.

"You got a new brother!" Debbie shrieked.

"I did!" Michael turned to Lance and smiled. "They let you get custody of him?"

"Until he turns eighteen," Debbie confirmed, laughing.

"Welcome to the family, baby," Emmett said, planting a kiss on Lance's cheek.

Justin threw his arms around Brian and buried his face in his chest. Brian returned the embrace and gently rocked him. He knew how important it was to Justin that Lance stood up for himself. Seeing the smile on Justin's face made his heart race. "Congratulations," Justin said, nodding at both Debbie and Lance.

"Thanks, Sunshine. We couldn't have done it without you."

"I say we celebrate," Brian declared, rising to his feet. "The only way we know how."

"Ooh, sounds good to me," Emmett agreed. "I've been dying to try out my new dance move. I call it the Tarantula."

"I don't want to know." Brian shook his head but couldn't help but laugh at the visual.

Lance's interest was piqued. "You guys are going out to the clubs?" he asked. He had never gone out to the clubs before, mostly because his dad wouldn't let him, but now that he was free of the tyrant, he wouldn't mind giving it a shot. Debbie would probably be okay with him going out.

"Yeah," Brian confirmed.

"Where?"

"Babylon, where else?"

"Can I come?" Lance had heard through the grapevine that Babylon was the place to go, besides Popperz. His old boyfriend, Mark, had suggested that they go to Boy Toy, but twinks weren't really Lance's type, neither were the leather daddies of Meat Hook.

Justin frowned apologetically. "Sorry, you need to be a member to get in. And they check, so you can't just sneak in."

"Theodore will let him in. Won't you, Theodore?" Brian fixed Ted with a glare.

"Sure. Just don't get me in trouble. If anyone found out that I was letting a minor into the club...I'd be in a shit load of trouble."

"We'll be careful," Justin promised, grinning triumphantly.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Debbie queried, arching her eyebrows.

"Sorry. Can I go out?" Lance asked dutifully.

"Sure, honey. Have a great time."

"Thanks. Can we go now?" Lance inquired, anxious to get out and try something new and exciting. Who knew, maybe he'd meet his prince.

Brian shook his head. "It's only six thirty, the action doesn't start until midnight."

"You're not going anywhere yet," Debbie said, crossing her arms over her ample chest. "I am cooking a celebratory dinner and you are all going to stay and eat." No one had the gall to argue with her. "And you're not going anywhere without me."

"What do you want to come to Babylon with us for?" Michael asked, rolling his eyes. He hated it when his mother insisted on showing up at Woody's and Babylon. It was embarrassing.

"Do you got a problem with that?" Deb challenged.

"No," Michael answered dutifully.

"Good. Go home and get Ben and Hunter," she turned toward Emmett and Ted, "and you two go get Calvin and Blake. It's a family dinner, so everybody's got to be here."

Michael, Emmett, and Ted left to get their partners. "Thank God we are finally out of there," Emmett exclaimed. "I was going stir crazy."

"Then, why didn't you come out here and sit in on the porch or something?" Ted asked.

"I don't know. I couldn't complain out here because you were all in the house."

"Ah, Em. Only you." Emmett and Ted got into Ted's car. "Are you coming, Michael?" Ted asked.

"I'm going to ride my bike. Besides, there's no way you could fit all of us in there," Michael replied.

"Good point. See you in a bit."

"Bye, baby." Emmett blew Michael a kiss.

"Bye." Michael couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

After dinner, they waited for Debbie to get changed. "I say we just leave her," Brian whispered conspiratorially. He didn't want Deb to hear him and come down to chastise him.

"And tell her what?" Michael shot back.

"I don't know. She's your mother, think of something."

"I can't think of anything, and besides, it doesn't matter. Even if we did leave her, she'd just show up at Woody's pissed off."

"So?"

"So? That's easy for you to say, you're not the one who would get slapped."

"Yeah." Brian laughed. "Well, not unless she found out I was behind it. And I really don't want to get slapped by her again. Last time she nearly knocked a tooth out."

Thankfully, Deb had found something to wear quickly. She came down the stairs gracefully. "What the fuck are we all standing around talking for? Let's go."

"Here." Michael handed Deb her purse.

"Thanks, honey." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" she asked Carl, who sat on the couch watching TV.

"No, that's okay. You got out and have a good time, Hunter and I will stay here and watch _CSI_," Carl replied.

"You and your cop dramas," Debbie commented. "We'll be back sometime after midnight. Don't wait up."

"Have fun," Hunter called after them.

Taking two cars, they met up inside Woody's. Brian headed straight for the pool table. "You and me, Mikey?" he asked, nodding at the pool cues.

"Maybe later. I want to get a few drinks first," Michael replied, looping his arm through Ben's.

"What about you?" Brian asked Justin.

"I _have_ been getting better," Justin mused. "All right, but how about we make it a little more interesting?"

"What did you have in mind?" Brian arched a suspicious eyebrow.

"If I win, you let me top tonight."

Brian chuckled. "Seriously?" He didn't often let Justin top him, mostly because he didn't find it as pleasurable as being the one to do the fucking. Although he did enjoy it every once in a while. But the chances of Justin actually winning were slim to none, so it couldn't really hurt to humor him and agree to the bet.

"Yes." Justin grinned devilishly.

"And if I win?"

"You can top me." Brian crossed his arms. That was hardly a consolation prize considering he normally did that anyway. "And I'll give you a blow job," Justin added.

"Make it two blow jobs," Brian challenged.

"Done." Justin held out his hand for Brian to shake. He shook it and handed Justin a cue. "Who starts?"

"You can start," Brian replied.

"That's awfully kind of you," Justin joked as he knocked the six ball into the side pocket.

Michael and Ben were within earshot. "I have to see this," Michael said, watching the game.

"Good, we need someone to make sure that no one cheats," Justin replied.

"I'm the referee!" Debbie announced, laughing and bouncing over to keep watch.

"Can you get us a drink?" Michael asked Ben.

"Sure." Ben smiled and went to get the drinks.

Ted and Blake sat down at the bar. Ringo was working and immediately caught Ted's eye. "Hey, Ted. The usual?" he asked, grinning.

"Sure, Ringo. Thanks."

"Anytime."

"He seems nice," Blake commented, watching Ringo warily.

"He is. The others think he has a crush on me but I know that he doesn't."

"Why wouldn't he?" Blake asked, grinning. "You're the hottest guy in here."

Ted snorted. "What are you on? I'm the least attractive guy in this place."

"Not from where I'm standing." Ringo winked at Ted and set the drinks in front of him.

"Thanks, Ringo." Ted smiled and took a sip of his drink. Blake laughed and grabbed his own drink. "You're not jealous?" Ted asked.

"Should I be?" Blake replied.

"No. I just thought you'd be a little uncomfortable by the fact that he was just hitting on me is all."

"Nope. I know that you wouldn't cheat on me. Plus, I love seeing you blush whenever a cute guy compliments you."

"You do? I'll have to do it more often, then."

Emmett and Calvin sat at their own table, leaning in closely. "I love it when we get to bring someone new to Babylon," he said, smiling at Lance. "It's great to their face when they see it for the first time. It makes me feel all warm and tingly inside."

"If you don't know what to expect, it can be pretty shocking," Calvin agreed. "I remember how surprised I was when I went to my first gay club outside of Hazelhurst. It was so weird seeing so many ripped, horny men dancing together. For a second I thought I'd died and gone to heaven."

"I went my first time with Godiva. She told me what to expect so I didn't go in and gawk like an idiot. I had the most intense orgasm of my life that night." Calvin met his gaze. "Well, up until that point anyway," he amended.

"Good save," Calvin joked.

"Thank you, I was hoping for something a little more subtler, but I think I pulled it off nicely." He laughed.

"You seem a lot happier now that you and your dad have made up," Calvin said, changing the subject.

"I am. I'm especially happy that he's doing better now. Maybe soon he'll be well enough that he can come and visit us."

"I'd like that." Calvin leaned across the table and kissed Emmett.

Michael watched intently as Justin sunk the eight ball, thus winning. "Fuck," Brian groaned, dropping his pool cue. Justin laughed wickedly.

"That's what you get for being so cocky," Justin said.

"Goddamn it!" Brian wasn't really angry about the fact that he had lost the bet, but he couldn't exactly go around taking that lightly, could he?

"Don't be such a sore loser, Brian," Michael teased. "It isn't like you have to do anything you're not into."

"Shut up, Mikey," Brian replied. He grinned to show that he wasn't really angry.

"Where do you want to do this?" Brian asked Justin.

"I can wait until we get home," Justin answered with a big grin. "Unless you'd rather go out in the back alley and..."

"No, we'll do it at home."

"I'll tell you what. Because you played such a good game, I'll even blow you on the way home. How does that sound?"

"This deal just keeps getting better and better," Brian replied with mock enthusiasm.

With the pool game done, they moved on to Babylon. Lance was walking up with Brian and Justin. "Are you nervous?" Justin asked, noticing that Lance was even paler than usual.

"A little," Lance admitted. "I've never gone out to a club before."

"You'll love it," Brian promised. "Hot men everywhere, a nice back room to fuck in. What's not to like?"

"I was nervous my first time, too," Justin assured him. "And look what happened: I met the man of my dreams and everything turned out great."

"Nothing amazing like that ever happens to me."

"Never say never," Brian said, draping his arm around Justin. "Miracles happen."

The doorman let them all in and Debbie immediately sat herself at the bar. Michael and Ben went to dance with Emmett and Calvin, while Ted and Blake disappeared into the back room. Lance stuck with Brian and Justin. He hadn't expected the club to be so packed. People were everywhere, in all stages of undress, dancing to the loudest music he had ever heard. He caught the eye of a younger man and looked to Justin for help. "Go dance with him," Justin said. "Just don't let him take you into the back room unless you want to."

Nodding, Lance was blocked from their sight as he waded through the crowd. "He's not all bad for a rookie," Brian said.

"He'll learn," Justin replied. "Just like I did. Maybe he'll even meet a younger version of you and they can be just like us," he joked.

"First off, I'm not that old. Second, what fucking hetero fairytale are you living in?"

"You're just mad cause you lost the bet." Justin clapped Brian's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll be gentle."

"As long as I get my blow job, I'm happy."

"Okay. We'll stay for a couple songs and then we'll go home," Justin promised.

Brian nodded and took his hand. He snaked his way through the mob of gyrating men, trying to find their friends. When he spotted Michael and the others, he stopped and started to sway to the music. Justin looked into his eyes and they both smiled. As much as they loved staying in and making love, nothing was better than a night out at Babylon. He imagined that they would never stop going, not until they were old and decrepit anyway.

By the end of the first song, Ted and Blake surfaced. "My, my, Theodore, you're getting almost as much action in the back room as I do," Brian commented. Blake blushed slightly and averted his gaze.

"Jealous?" Ted replied sardonically.

"Hardly. You could never beat the number of times I've fucked back there."

"That's true."

"Besides, you can have it. I don't need it anymore. I've expanded my horizons."

"All the way to West Virginia," Ted agreed, smiling.

The second song ended quickly and they said their goodbyes. "Hey, do you guys want to have dinner at our house some night?" Michael asked, breaking away from Ben.

"Sure," Brian replied. "Set a date."

"Okay. Have fun you two." He grinned mischievously and Brian winked at him.

"Where are you going?" Debbie asked as they passed her to leave.

"Home," Brian answered simply.

"Time to settle that bet, huh?" Deb teased.

"In full," Justin assured her. "See you later."

"Bye, guys."

During the drive home, Justin stayed true to word and gave Brian a blow job. He loved the feeling of Brian's cock in his mouth and the knowledge that he was the one giving pleasure, not Brian. Afterward, Justin said, "We don't have to go through with it if you don't want to."

"I don't mind," Brian replied. If it was anybody else other than Justin, he probably would have minded but he couldn't deny Justin pleasure. Justin was the only man that he had completely enjoyed having inside of him.

"So, you're okay with it, then?"

"Why wouldn't I be? It isn't like this is the first time we've done it."

"I was just making sure."

In the bedroom, Brian got in bed, lying on his stomach. Justin grabbed the tube of lube from the bedside stand and tore open a condom packet. With a smile, he knelt behind Brian.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Michael and Ben have Brian and Justin over for dinner, where Michael asks their permission to use them in his book. Brian and Justin finally fly together to pick up Gus.


	78. Turducken and a Fag

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Michael wrote a short story for his creative writing class and his professor loved it so much that he offered to help Michael turn it into a novel.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Seven

Brian put the car in park and looked out the window. "Well," he said, "we're here."

"I wonder what Michael wants to talk to us about," Justin muttered, his brow creased.

"Who says he wants to talk to us about something? Maybe he just wanted to have us over for dinner."

"On the phone he said there was something important he wanted to talk with us about."

"Maybe he decided he wants another baby and he's going to ask one of us to be the father," Brian joked.

"Sounds like a job for you." Justin opened the car door and got out.

They walked up the driveway and stepped up onto the porch. Justin was just about to ring the doorbell when the door was thrown open. "Hey, guys," Michael said, bursting with energy. "Come on in."

"Thanks." Justin gave Brian a confused look. Michael was not acting like himself at all. He sniffed the air. "That smells really good."

"It's almost done." Michael headed back toward the kitchen.

"What is?" Brian asked.

"The turducken," Michael called back. "Uncle Vic taught me how to make it."

"Gosh, Mikey. You've turned into a regular little housewife, haven't you?"

"And I'm proud of it."

Brian and Justin sat down in the living room, looking around. "Did you redecorate in here?" Justin asked.

"Yeah, why?" Michael set two glasses of wine on the coffee table.

"It looks different," he explained.

"Ben got sick of the old color so we repainted it." Michael sat down next to them on the couch and downed his wine in one gulp.

"Careful, Mikey. You don't want to get drunk before dinner's done, do you?"

"I'll be fine." Michael tapped his toes nervously.

Brian exhaled loudly. "So, you said there was something you wanted to talk to us about?" he prompted.

"Yes, there is. But it can wait until dinner." Michael looked down at his feet for a second. "Speaking of which, I should go check on dinner." He got up and rushed into the kitchen.

"There's definitely something wrong with him," Justin commented. "He's practically jumping out of his skin."

"He's probably just had a little too much to drink. He gets a little skittish when he's drunk."

Michael came back into the room. "Dinner's done so we can eat now if you want or we can wait for Ben."

"Where is the Professor?" Brian asked.

"Out getting dessert."

"Wow, we're getting the royal treatment." Brian took a sip of his wine. "We can wait for Ben."

"Okay." He laughed nervously and sat back down on the couch. "So, Justin, have you heard anything more about your exhibit?"

Justin sighed. "Not yet. Jackson said he'd be in contact, but I haven't talked to him in a few weeks. If I don't hear anything soon, I'm just going to assume that it's been called off."

"That would suck. I know how important it is to you."

"Yeah, but at least I got my very own art show and a small fortune out of the deal. I can't really complain."

"I guess."

"What about you? How's college going?"

"Great. I'm really enjoying it. I wish I would have gone back sooner."

"Did you get dropped on your head as a baby?" Brian asked, scrunching his face up in disgust.

"Knowing my mother, probably. Why?"

"Because who the fuck enjoys school? That's just wrong on so many levels."

Before Michael could come up with a retort, Ben came through the front door. "Hey, guys," he said, smiling.

"Hey." Justin gave him a small wave.

"I hope I'm not too late." Ben shot Michael an apologetic look. "Michael sent me out to get the dessert at the last minute."

"Nope. You're just in time. And I sent you to get the dessert at the last minute so it would still be fresh," Michael argued. " Now, come on, let's go eat. I'm starving." Brian and Justin followed him into the dining room. There were four places set at the table.

"Hunter's not joining us?" Justin asked.

"No. He's at the library researching a paper for school," Ben explained. "Who knows when he'll be back?"

"Oh." They all sat down at the table and Michael topped off all of their wine glasses.

The first few minutes passed by in silence. "How do you guys like the turducken?" Michael asked, finally.

"It's good," Justin answered. "You'll have to give me the recipe so I can make it sometime."

"What about you, Brian?"

"Let's just say its better than I thought it was going to be. With a name like that, you can't expect too much."

"Good." Michael chewed in silence for a few more seconds. "So, you're probably wondering why I asked you guys to come over to dinner tonight, right?"

"We know why. There's something you want to talk to us about," Brian reminded him.

"Oh, yeah." Michael smacked his forehead. "I'm a little scatterbrained today."

"I noticed."

Michael took another sip of his wine. "Would anyone like some more...?"

"Just tell us what you need to tell us," Brian insisted. "You're making me nervous."

"Okay." Michael took a deep breath. "Do you remember that paper I was writing a few weeks ago? The one I was stressing about?"

"Vaguely," Brian answered. "What about it?"

"I got it back and the professor loved it. He asked if I had ever considered writing a book."

"And have you?"

"Not until then, but now it's all I think about."

"So, do it." Brian shrugged.

Michael laughed. "I am. I started working on it that week and I'm already a couple of chapters into it. And I have a publisher that's interested. I'm meeting him in a few weeks to go over everything"

"Congratulations," Justin said, smiling kindly. "What's it about?"

"Us," Michael answered, hurriedly refilling his glass.

"What do you mean?" Brian asked, knitting his brows.

"Michael's writing about what it's like to be a gay man living in the twenty-first century," Ben explained. "I've read the first few chapters and it's pretty good."

"Thanks, honey." Michael shot Ben a grateful smile.

"That's great, Mikey. But why are you telling us like this? You couldn't have just told us on the phone? Why the big production?"

"That's the thing. You guys are in it and I don't want to do it without your permission. If I'm able to get it published, you'll have to sign releases to avoid a lawsuit. Unless I changed your names, but it just seems less authentic that way."

Brian nodded in understanding. "Well, you have my permission." He smiled. "As long as you don't turn me into some pathetic, whiny queen."

"You have my word," Michael promised.

"You have mine, too," Justin added.

"Thanks, guys. You have no idea how much this means to me. And of course you'll get a cut of the profits since you're in it so much."

"No way," Brian said forcefully. "I'm not going to take your money. I have plenty of my own."

"Me neither," Justin declared. "You're writing the book, you get to keep the money."

"Just dedicate it to me," Brian teased.

"Done." Michael raised his glass in a toast and the others followed his example.

After dinner, Michael took Brian and Justin into the living room and let them read the first chapter. "Be honest with me," he said. "If you think it sucks or whatever, just tell me. I don't want to make a fool of myself."

"I really like it. Especially the part that goes 'Okay, that's me. Michael Novotny, the semi-cute boy-next-door type. Twenty-nine, five-ten, one forty, nine and a half cut. All right, I exaggerate. But, like, who's told the truth since they invented cybersex?' It's hilarious," Justin replied, his eyes scanning the computer screen. "I can even see it being turned into a movie or a TV show. That would make a great opening voice-over. Like a gay _Sex and the City_."

"Yeah, right. Can you imagine me as Carrie? And besides, that's what they said about _Rage_ and look how that turned out."

"This is different. _Rage_ is an action/fantasy thriller, this is...I don't know, but it's definitely got a lot of potential. Plus, there are tons of queers out there and this will eat this up. It tells the honest truth. It could make straight people see us in a new light."

"Thanks." Michael blushed.

Brian read over Justin's shoulder. "Look, here's the part where first met." He pointed to a paragraph and read out loud: "And that's when it happened. When he came along." He smiled at Justin.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Justin teased. "It sounds so ominous."

"I was trying to convey my feelings at the time. I don't feel that way about you anymore."

"Phew, for a second there, I was worried." Justin laughed. "Will you let me keep reading it once you get more written?"

Michael smiled. "Sure, I'll email you the chapters on the condition that you still buy the book when it comes out."

"Of course we will. Anything to support a friend. Right, Brian?"

"Uh huh." Brian was immersed in the story.

"It must be good if even Brian can't tear his eyes away," Michael joked.

"I'm reading a sex scene," Brian explained. "A very detailed, sex scene I might add. I think I have a woody." He looked down. "Yep."

"Figures," Michael and Justin said in unison.

Ben came into the room with the dessert. He set a plate in front of Brian, who picked up the fork and started to eat it. "I can't believe Brian's actually eating something fattening," Ben said, handing Justin and Michael a plate.

"I know! He told me once that he doesn't eat fat or carbs after seven," Justin replied.

"What time is it?" Michael asked.

"Eleven," Ben answered, looking down at his watch.

"I guess we know what he'll be doing tomorrow," Michael joked.

"Yeah. Working out to burn off the measly couple of ounces he's gaining right now."

"Me, too," Ben confessed. Michael playfully smacked his arm. "I am going to go clean up," he announced, disappearing back into the kitchen.

After Brian finished reading, he spun around in the chair to face Michael. "I like it," he announced. "It definitely interested me. Keep up the good work, Mikey."

"Thanks, Brian." Michael's face flushed with excitement. He had been afraid that Brian would think that the idea of writing a book about their lives was silly. The old Brian certainly would have. The fact that he not only supported the book but was also encouraging it made Michael's heart leap. Now all he had to do was get permission from Ted and Emmett. He'd called Melanie and Lindsay and both had readily agreed to it.

Brian caught sight of the time. "We'd better get going, Sunshine. You have school bright and early. And a night of vigorous exercise to burn off your dinner."

"Don't' remind me," Justin grumbled, getting to his feet. "I will be so glad when I finally have my degree and can tell PIFA to go fuck themselves."

"Ever the charmer. Come on, Sonny Boy, time to get you home. Thanks for dinner, Mikey."

"Yeah, thanks," Justin said.

"You're welcome. We'll have to do this again some time. I had a blast." Michael smiled warmly.

"So did we," Justin assured him.

Once in the car, Brian started the engine. "So, Mikey's writing a book. It better be a fucking big success, that's all I've got to say. I'd hate to see how disappointed he'd be if it was a flop."

"Of course it will be a success. You saw how good it was. Besides I think America's ready now."

"We'll see. You know, reading about the night we met has got me all worked up. I want to fuck you so bad." He leaned over and bit Justin's ear.

"When we get home," he promised. He laughed as Brian's hot breath tickled his neck.

"I don't know if I can wait."

"Well, I'm not squeezing into the back seat again. There isn't enough room for us back there. It's too bad we couldn't have kept the loft. It would be a nice fuck pad for when we're here."

Brian chuckled. "Now that you're a millionaire, you could always buy it back from that asshole who bought it."

"Seriously? That would be a huge waste of money, don't you think?"

"Hey, you're the one who brought it up. I'm perfectly content fucking in the backseat."

"Fine, let's stop by Babylon long enough to pay a quick visit to the back room. That should tide you over until we get home, right?"

"It might." Brian grinned as he gunned the engine. "We'll just have to see."

* * *

But Brian's sexual hunger was not sated by a quick tryst in the back room. They had gotten back in the car and driven just a few miles up the road before Brian had reached over and started to rub Justin's bulge. After getting a hand job, Justin leaned over and blew Brian. It never ceased to amaze him that Brian could fully concentrate on driving while he was getting his dick sucked. He knew that if the situation were reversed, he would have to pull over.

When they had finally gotten home, Brian had immediately crushed his mouth against Justin's and laid him down on the floor of the foyer, ripping off his clothes. They had continued into every room of the house before one final round in the bedroom. Afterwards, breathing heavily, Justin had at last fallen asleep in Brian's arms. The last time he had glanced at the clock, it had been going on four in the morning.

Justin trundled through school a few hours later through sheer willpower. The good news was that it was Friday, so he had the whole weekend to rest up and relax. It was their weekend to have Gus, but he was low maintenance. He had promised Brian the last time that he would fly to get Gus with him, which meant that he got a nice forty-five minute nap on the way back. Brian wouldn't want to leave Gus alone while they fucked in the airplane bathroom.

School let out after lunch and Justin walked across town to the office. _You know, if I'd brought the Jeep, I could be driving to work right now instead of walking there. I'd definitely be there a lot sooner. But then I wouldn't be riding with Brian anymore and I'd miss him like crazy._ He had never considered himself an obsessive person before, but now that he and Brian were married, he hated spending even an hour away from him. Fortunately, Brian felt the same way. His cell phone vibrating his pocket brought him back to reality. "Hello."

"Hey, Sunshine." It was Brian.

"Hey! I'm on my way, I'll be there in a few..."

"Take your time. While you're out, would you mind picking up lunch from the diner? I'm starving."

"Sure. Do you want your usual?"

"You know me so well. Tell Deb to put it on my tab."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

Justin walked into the diner and went up to the counter. Debbie spotted him and came over. "Hey, Sunshine. What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Hey, Deb. Brian sent me over to get lunch."

"What, is he too lazy to come over and get it himself?"

"No, it's on the way to the office. I had school today."

Deb scrutinized Justin for a second. "You look exhausted, sweetie."

"Yeah. I was up all night working on school work," he lied.

"Uh huh. Sure, Sunshine. Whatever you say."

"I will have..." he began, eager to change the subject.

"I already know. The usual." She laughed. "Coming right up."

"Thanks," Justin replied.

"Anytime, baby. You take care of yourself." Giving the order to the cook, Deb moved on to the next customer.

Once the food was ready, Justin rushed to work. "There you are," Brian said when he came into his office.

"Sorry. You know how chatty Deb is," he replied, setting the box with Brian's food in it on the desk. "So, what do you have for me to do today? Not another new campaign I hope."

"No. We're leaving after we eat. I booked an earlier flight so we can have more time with Gus. The weekend goes by too fast."

"That's great! Gus will like that. I know how much he likes coming to stay with us."

"Yeah," Brian agreed, smiling.

They got the airport on time and quickly boarded the plane. "I think that's the quickest I've ever gotten on a plane," Brian commented as they took their seats. "Usually I have to wait a fucking hour." He looked over at Justin, who was smiling. "What are you grinning about?"

"We're on the plane." Brian furrowed his brows quizzically. "Together," Justin added.

"Oh." Realization dawned. A grin broke out on Brian's face. "What do you say we go pay a trip to the bathroom?"

"Sounds good to me." Justin got up and followed Brian into the small bathroom. He noticed that they were getting dirty looks from the other passengers. "I kept up my promise this time," he reminded Brian.

"I guess that means I'll go easy on you." Brian laughed and crushed his lips against Justin's.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Getting impatient, Justin calls Jackson and gets his exhibit back on track. Michael delves into his novel and finds that he's enjoying it a little too much.


	79. Progress

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **After hosting an art show at Britin Manor, Justin was promised his own exhibit at the Sydney Blum Gallery in New York.

Delving into his novel, Michael asked his friends' permission to use them in it. Everyone agreed.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Eight

Justin waited another week before he lost his patience and decided to give Jackson a call. It had been a couple of weeks since they'd last spoken and Justin couldn't take the silence anymore. If his exhibit was canceled, he just wanted the courtesy of being privy to the information. Then he could work on getting an exhibit closer to home. He tapped his foot impatiently as the call went through. A few seconds later, someone picked up. "Hello?" a heavily accented female voice said. _What is it with these Brooklyn accents?_

"Hello. This is Justin Taylor-Kinney, I'm calling for Jackson..." He scrambled to remember Jackson's last name. "Martin!" he exclaimed triumphantly. "Is he there?" Hopefully he didn't have the wrong number; otherwise he'd feel like an idiot.

"Yes. He's here, but he is in a meeting at the moment with the owner."

"Okay. May I ask who I'm talking to?"

"Gigi. I'm Mr. Martin's secretary."

"Hi, Gigi. Do you know how long he's going to be in the meeting?"

"It's hard to say. Once Jackson and the curator start talking, time seems to fade." She laughed. "Can I take a message?"

Justin sighed. Jackson just _had_ to be in a meeting, didn't he? Who knew when he'd ever hear back from him now? "Yeah," he answered after a few beats. "Could you ask him to give Justin Taylor-Kinney a call when he gets a chance? It's about my upcoming exhibit."

"Of course. Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Taylor-Kinney?"

"No, that's it. Thank you."

"You're welcome_. _Have a nice day."

He hung up and irritably tossed the phone onto the bed. "Bad news?" Brian asked, coming up behind him. He put his arms around Justin and squeezed him tight, resting his head on Justin's shoulder.

"I called Jackson," Justin replied, closing his eyes as he reveled in Brian's affection.

"And?"

"Jackson is in an important meeting. I left a message with his secretary, Gigi. Let's see how long it takes for him to get back to me."

"I could try," Brian offered. "I'm sure I could convince Gigi to put me through to him."

"Thanks, but I'll save that for a last resort. The last thing I want to do right now is piss him off."

Brian sighed and pulled away. "Haven't I taught you anything?" he asked, moving so that he and Justin were face-to-face.

"What do you mean?" Justin stared at Brian quizzically.

"I mean, you aren't going to get anywhere being sweet and innocent. If you want his attention, you have to demand it. It's the only way to deal with people."

"So, you want me to be an asshole?"

"I didn't say that. I just said that you needed to demand his attention. You can do that without being too much of an asshole, can't you?"

Justin shook his head. "If I don't hear back from in by tomorrow night, I'll do this your way. Deal?"

"Deal." Brian's lips tugged into a tight smile. "Just make sure that I'm here to see it. You are so hot when you're angry.

"Shut up." Justin took a playful swipe at Brian. "You just love conflict. It gets you hard."

"It does," Brian agreed. "But it isn't the only thing." He moved closer to Justin and started to undo his belt.

"You never get sick of it, do you?" Justin asked, chuckling.

"Never. I can go all day every day."

"I noticed." He giggled as Brian's hand tickled his thigh.

"Why? You want to, right?"

"Yeah," he gasped, falling back onto the bed.

Brian climbed on top of him and unbuttoned his shirt, rubbing his chest. Justin was so euphoric that he hardly felt the cell phone vibrating next to him. "You're phone's ringing," Brian said, licking a trail down to Justin's belly. Goose pimples broke out on his skin and he arched his back expectantly. With a quick movement, Brian had him in his mouth.

"I'll let it go the voice mail," Justin replied, closing his eyes. It was probably Michael calling to let him know that he'd finished another chapter. Or Jennifer wanting to know if they could meet for lunch sometime soon to catch up.

"What if it's Jackson? You don't want to miss his call." Brian looked up at him, his eyes devilish.

"Fuck." He reached over and snatched up the phone. The number was the one that Jackson had given him. "It's him," he confirmed.

"Well, aren't you going to answer it?" Brian teased him with his tongue.

Grinning, Justin picked up the phone. "Hello." He tried to keep his breathing even so Jackson wouldn't hear him panting. Brian took him back into his mouth.

"Justin?"

"Yes."

"This is Jackson. I understand you called me?"

"Yeah. What's going on with my exhibit? You haven't called in a while." He figured taking Brian's advice was the best course of action.

"I am so sorry. I've been meaning to call you, but my work here is never done. You understand." _Looks like Brian was right after all._

Justin wanted to give a derisive snort, but fought the urge as Brian tickled the underside of his dick. "That's fine, I just want to know about my exhibit," he managed. "If it's not going to happen, that's fine."

"Let me look at my calendar and see if we can't come to some agreement about a date. I'll be right back."

"Sure." He pulled the phone away from his ear for a few seconds. It was very hard for him to concentrate on the conversation while Brian was blowing him. All he could think about was the pleasure. With a groan, he climaxed, a smile tugging at his lips.

"I'm back," Jackson announced, clearing his throat. Had he heard the groan? _Who the fuck cares? Everybody does it._

"What have you got?"

"Let's see... it looks like we are booked through Christmas. There is an opening at the end of February, does that work for you?"

"Hold on a second." Daphne's due date was the beginning of March. But she could always have the baby a few weeks early. He didn't want the baby to come while he was in New York. "Brian," he whispered.

Brian looked up at him and grinned. "I can move on to rimming if you want."

"I'm serious!" Justin hissed.

"Okay. What is it?" The smile vanished from his face as he moved up to lay next to Justin.

"The only opening they have is at the end of February."

"And?"

"The baby's due around that time. I don't want to miss anything."

"Yeah. Look, just tell him that you'll take it for now and if anything comes up you can reschedule it for the following week or something."

Justin nodded. "Jackson? We'll take it. I should let you know that my friend Daphne is having a baby around that time I can't miss the birth, so if anything comes up, can we reschedule?"

"I'll keep the the last weekend of the month free for you as well," Jackson replied. "How does that sound?"

"Good."

"Perhaps we can even extend the exhibit, make it permanent, so it speak."

"That would be great. Thanks."

"It's my job. I'll send you the details when it gets closer to the date. Feel free to call me if you need anything else. I'd be happy to help you in any way possible."

"Thank you very much. Bye."

"Always a pleasure."

Brian rested his head on his hand. "I take it you liked his answer?"

"Yeah. He said that he'll keep a week free at the end of the month so that if we need to cancel, the exhibit will just be pushed up."

"I told you," Brian said, smiling. "All you had to do was have a little attitude and he'd bend over backward for you."

"Figuratively speaking, of course." Justin laughed. "I can't imagine Jackson would be a good fuck. Not if his professionalism is anything to go by."

"He wasn't that unprofessional," Brian replied.

"You don't call not contacting me for three weeks unprofessional? Especially when he promised me back in July that my exhibit would be soon."

"Okay, it was a little unprofessional. But you aren't the only artist that he has to tend to. He must see dozens of artists each day."

Justin let that sink it. Maybe he had been a bit harsh about the whole thing. "You're right," he said, rolling his eyes. "He even said that the exhibit's run might get extended to a full time deal."

"That would be nice. And you know who you have to thank for it." In spite of his joking tone, Brian was suddenly feeling upset. If the exhibit's run got extended, would Justin stay in New York for a while until everything got settled?

"What would I do without you?"

"You'd be completely lost and helpless," Brian joked. "Which I guess is exactly what I would be without you." He chewed his lip pensively.

"But you'd still have Gus," Justin reminded him. "And your friends."

"But all of that is worth nothing if you're not included in the deal."

Justin looked deeply into Brian's eyes, trying to figure out what had brought on the sudden sentimentality. "What's up?" he asked, rubbing Brian's hand.

"Nothing. I just want you to know that this isn't all about sex. Sex is a large part of it, but I really do need and want you here with me."

"I'll always be here. I promise." Justin lifted Brian's hand to his lips and kissed it. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Of course you aren't. I'm not letting you go for even a second." He wrapped his arms around Justin and tightened his hold. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you, Brian. I couldn't have done all of this without you."

Brian scoffed. "Of course you could have. I didn't give you your talent, all I did was encourage it."

"You got Jackson to come to the show," Justin reminded him. "You gave me my dream country manor, you gave me the family I've always wanted. You have given me everything."

"That's nothing compared to what you've given me," Brian replied. "I didn't think it was possible for me to ever give a shit about anybody but myself. I didn't need or want anyone trying to change me and make me into something I'm not. And then you came along and showed me that I do have a human side, it was just buried deep down inside, bursting to get free."

Justin smiled. "We could go on about this all night. How about we agree to the fact that we need each other and we've both given so much to the other?"

"Sounds good to me." Brian kissed his cheek. "Speaking of which, I have something I'd like to give to you right about now."

"We're never going to get out of bed, are we?" Justin joked.

"Not unless you can show me that you deserve a break. I run a tight ship Mr. Taylor-Kinney. I don't like wimps."

"How about you test me, then? See if I can handle what you offer. I've been told that I have the endurance of ten men."

Brian gasped in mock shock. "Well, that definitely sounds likes an asset I'd like to try out. With your permission, of course."

"Anytime you're ready," Justin answered.

"I should warn you that I drive a hard bargain."

"I'm ready for anything."

"In that case..." Brian reached into the bedside stand as Justin rolled over so that he was on his belly.

* * *

Michael once again sat in front of the computer. Except this time, he wasn't staring at a blank document, he was watching as another page was filled up with his story. Since Brian and Justin had given him their blessing, he had started to write with a renewed zest. His hands flew over the keyboard, as if of their own accord. He had been working on his book for a couple of hours, eager to get the ideas out of his head before they vanished into the ether.

Ben came up and sat down on the desk. "Still at it?" he asked.

"Yep. You'd be surprised how it all comes to me. I never thought it would be this easy."

"What did you expect?"

"I don't know. I had horrific visions of me sitting here with a blank screen for hours on end."

"That happened already," Ben reminded him. "With your paper."

"This was worse," Michael insisted.

Ben reached over and started to massage Michael's shoulders. "You're tense," he noted.

"Writing a book is stressful," Michael said in his defense. "I have a headache." He rubbed his temples.

"Why don't you call it quits for tonight and come up to bed with me? I'll get your mind off of all this." He smiled dazzlingly, hoping to convince Michael.

"In a bit," Michael promised. "I want to finish this chapter first."

"What's going on in the chapter?"

"Nothing important," Michael lied. "Just some stuff about my ma and Uncle Vic."

The truth was, he was writing about when his ex-boyfriend David's son Hank had come to visit them. Sure, Ben would read it all eventually, but Michael just hoped that when he read the whole book, he wouldn't be pissed that Michael had included David in it. He had never given Ben a reason to be jealous, surely that wouldn't start now.

Ben went upstairs and Michael went back to writing, All that mattered was the story. He continued to type, not even aware that he had finished his chapter and was well on his way to completing the next. Since starting the book, it was his main passion. Whenever he had a spare moment, he sat down and wrote. When he wasn't writing, he was constantly going over what he was going to write in his head, making sure that it sounded okay. In other words, he had become obsessed.

A hand of his shoulder made him jump. He gasped and put his hand to his heart, feeling his quickened pulse. "I thought you were just going to finish your chapter," Ben murmured softly in his ear.

"I am," Michael replied, turning back to the computer screen.

"It's been two hours, Michael. You're not done yet?"

"What?" Michael looked at the corner of the screen where the time was displayed. Apparently, he'd been so wrapped up in his book that he hadn't even noticed that any time had passed. "I guess I lost track of time."

"That's an understatement," Ben said dryly. "So, are you ready to take a break and come keep me warm upstairs?"

Michael wanted to protest, to send Ben off on his way so that he could continue writing, but he realized that he was getting too involved with the whole thing. Especially since he hadn't even met with the publisher yet. "Okay." He clicked the save icon and turned the computer off.

"I was beginning to worry," Ben admitted as they went up the stairs. "You've been spending so much time writing. That's not like you."

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just so addicting, you know? I can't get it out of my head. I feel like if I'm not writing, I'm not being true to myself."

Ben laughed. "I know what you mean. I was that way when I wrote my first book. But, Michael, take it from me, you can't let this control you, or else you'll go crazy. You'll start blowing everyone off and spend all of your time alone, staring at a computer screen. Is that really what you want for yourself? You've got plenty of time to finish it. Your professor said you could wait until you got your degree before publishing it, so that gives you at least two years."

"You're right. I'm just afraid that if I don't get out my ideas, they'll vanish and I'll be screwed."

"I felt the same way. You know what I found helped?"

"What?"

"When you get an idea, just jot it down on a piece of paper or a notepad or something. That way, you can't forget it. And later, you can make an outline for each chapter; put in what you want and get rid of the extra stuff that doesn't belong."

"Thanks. I'll try that." Michael smiled warmly. "I'm sorry I've been such a crappy husband these past few weeks. It isn't fair to you that I'm shutting you out. Especially for a story that I don't even know is going to be published."

Ben gripped Michael's hand reassuringly. "Don't think like that. It will get published and it will be a huge success. Like Justin said, there are plenty of gay people in America that will be intrigued by the idea. Plus, I'm sure there are plenty of straight people, too, that will want to read it."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Michael grumbled. "I can just see them standing outside of Barnes and Noble protesting the publication."

"They won't do that," Ben promised. "Not if I have any say in it."

"Thanks." Michael leaned over and kissed Ben's lips lightly. "I'm really glad that I have you to help me through all of this. You've been through it before. You can keep me from going insane. How about I take tomorrow off and we hang out as a family?"

"I'd like that." Ben smiled. "We could go to the gym together."

"I was thinking something more...fun," Michael admitted. "Like Sandcastle Waterpark."

Ben grinned. "Sounds like fun. We'll have to see what Hunter wants to do."

"Maybe we'll even bring my ma and Lance. Lance is practically my brother now. It's about time I got into the big brother shoes and did some stuff with him. If he's anything like Justin, we'll never get rid of him."

"There's that compassionate side coming out again," Ben said. "That's what I love most about you."

"And here I thought it was my hot little body," Michael teased, pulling his shirt off.

"That certainly helps," Ben replied, licking his lips. "If we're quiet, Hunter won't hear us."

"That's just what I had in mind." Michael tossed his clothes onto the floor and grinned at Ben expectantly as he took off his glasses and smiled back at him.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Ted and Blake and Emmett and Calvin celebrate their six-month anniversaries.


	80. Anniversary

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Inspired by Brian and Justin's nuptials, Ted and Blake and Emmett and Calvin had a double-wedding. While Ted and Blake were off to a great start, Emmett and Calvin were not. Despite his assurances, Calvin was still angry with Emmett about his fling with Drew Boyd. After intensive couples' therapy, however, they were able to repair the damage to their relationship.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Nine

Ted closed the door loudly behind him. Blake looked up from his perch on the couch and smiled. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," Ted replied excitedly.

"You're in a good mood." Blake stood up and crossed the room, hugging his partner.

"You'll never guess why," Ted beamed, his eyes alight.

"You got the raise!" Blake laughed and kissed Ted passionately. "Congratulations!"

Ted shook his head. "I didn't ask Brian yet." The price of their condo had gone up and with the cost of living steadily increasing, Ted was in need of a raise. Blake didn't make much at the rehab center, but he contributed what he could.

"Then what?" Blake searched Ted's eyes for a hint of what had gotten him so excited. It had to be something pretty great.

"I got us tickets for _La Traviata_!" Ted grinned even wider. He had never been to see his favorite opera live, and to the best of his knowledge, neither had Blake.

"You did?" Before Blake had met Ted, he had never really cared for opera, but now he was just as hooked as Ted was.

"Yep. It's playing at the Pittsburgh Playhouse tonight through Sunday." Ted pulled the tickets out of his pocket and handed them to Blake. "As soon as I heard, I rushed over and stood in line for tickets. You wouldn't believe how long the line was. I almost had to fight someone for the last two."

Blake looked the tickets over and blinked in surprise. "They're for tonight." That night wasn't the best night. Blake had group at eight, but he couldn't let Ted down, not after he had gone out of his way to get tickets.

"Yeah, I wanted to go tonight specifically." Ted's eyes twinkled.

"For our sixth month anniversary," Blake realized. "That was very thoughtful of you."

"You don't have group tonight, do you?" Ted asked.

"I do, but I'm going to have them bring in someone else. There is no way that I am going to miss this. Thank you." His smile was bright enough to light up the room.

"You're welcome. Anything to see that gorgeous smile on your face. Now, come on, we have to get ready to go."

Blake stared back in confusion. "The tickets say that the show isn't until eight."

"It isn't," Ted replied, heading into the bedroom. "It's only half past five," Blake pointed out. "Won't we be a little early?"

"We're going out to dinner first," Ted explained.

"I thought money was tight..."

"It won't be for long. I'll talk to Brian tomorrow about the raise. I'm sure he'll give it to me."

"If not, you could always get Madonna to come back to Babylon, that brought in some cash."

"Maybe," Ted mused. "Anyway, the place I'm taking you to isn't too expensive. "

"Good. In that case, you'll let me pay for it, then."

After showering and freshening up, they left the condo. "Why won't you tell me?" Blake asked.

"Because it's a surprise," Ted replied. "What fun would it be if I just told you where we're going?"

"You know how I feel about surprises." Blake sighed and stared out the window.

"You're going to love it, I promise."

"It's not the diner, is it?" Blake raised his eyebrows speculatively.

"No, it isn't the diner. No more guessing, I'm not going to answer any more questions."

"Fine. I'll just have to work it out of you." He smiled mischievously.

"And how do you propose to do that?"

"Like this." Blake reached over and played with Ted's tie. "I can move down if you like."

"Don't even think about it," Ted chastised, chuckling. "My lips are sealed."

When Ted pulled over onto the side of the street, Blake read the name on the side of the building. "Tessaro's?"

"Supposedly they have the best burgers in Pittsburgh. I've been meaning to come here for years, but I'm so used to eating at the diner that it just hasn't happened."

"Don't let Deb find out you took me to a nice romantic dinne r here, she'll poison your food," Blake joked.

"She knows that the Liberty Diner isn't exactly the most romantic place to go to in Pittsburgh to celebrate an anniversary. Besides, we're still on Liberty Avenue, that should be enough to appease her."

They went in and were immediately shown to their table. The place was crowded and noisy, but Ted didn't mind. He was alone with his husband and that was the most important detail. Their waiter, a very attractive young man, took their orders and left. "He was cute," Ted commented. "I think I've seen him at Babylon before."

"Me, too. I think his name is Chris, or something."

"How do you know his name?"

Blake swirled his drink, avoiding the question. He looked up into Ted's eyes and sighed. "I used to do drugs with him," he confessed, blushing.

"Oh." Ted nodded. "You didn't...?" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

"Sleep with him? No way! He came on to me one time, but he's not my type."

"You don't go for the gorgeous, pretty boy type?" Ted asked.

"No, I go for intelligent, sexy, kind guys."

"And which category do I fall under?" Ted teased.

"The intelligent, sexy, kind guy category."

"Yeah, right." H laughed.

Before long, their food had arrived and Ted took a bite of his burger. "They weren't kidding," he said. "These are the best burgers in Pittsburgh. We need to come here more often."

"This can be where we go for date night," Blake suggested with sly smile.

"Date night? I suppose we could do that." Ted shrugged it off. "Once I get my raise, we can finally take that honeymoon we've been planning forever."

"I thought going to Canada to see Melanie and Lindsay was our honeymoon?"

"No, that was a little weekend getaway."

"So where are we going?"

"I figured that since Justin's having his art show in New York, we'd go a few days early and check it out. "

"Really?" Blake laughed. "Why are you so good to me?" he asked.

"Because I love you." They leaned across the table and kissed passionately, not caring who saw. It was their six month anniversary.

After dinner, full from the delicious burgers, they drove over to the Pittsburgh Playhouse. The theater itself was located on the Point Park University campus. "I can't wait!" Blake exclaimed as they made their way into the theater.

"All I've ever seen is a live recording and that can't hold a torch to actually being in the audience."

"I love the live recording. Of course, I'd still rather see it live ."

"And your wish it about to be granted."

"Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. I'm the one who should be thanking you. You have given me so much. I don't think I would've been able to make it through rehab if it weren't for you."

"You're such a charmer,Ted." Blake rested his head on Ted's shoulder.

About two hours later, they walked out of the theater, arm-in-arm. Both Ted and Blake were wiping tears from their eyes. "That was beautiful," Ted said.

"Violetta was even better than the one in the video," Blake commented.

"I've never gotten this emotional about an opera before." Ted laughed at the how ridiculous it was.

"Me either. I've never cried like that about a play before"

"It must be me. People probably think we're a couple of old queens."

"We are," Blake reminded him, laughing softly. "Well, not old.," he amended. Ted put his arm around Blake and gave him a little squeeze. "Let's go home. I have a surprise for you back at the condo."

"You do?" Ted asked. "I can't wait to see it."

They stumbled into the condo, laughing hysterically. "You just had to bring that up, didn't you?" Ted gasped, clutching his sides.

"I couldn't help myself," Blake replied, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes. "It was too funny."

"You wouldn't be laughing so hard if it had happened to you!"

"Yeah, I would. It's too hilarious not to laugh about!"

"Because I slipped on a patch of ice and fell on my ass?"

"The look on your face was priceless."

As they went into the bedroom, Blake stopped laughing. He bent down and reached under the bed, pulling out a box. "Happy anniversary," he said, smiling up at Ted.

"What is it?" Ted asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"I don't know, open it." Blake laughed. "I hope you like it. It took me forever to track it down."

"You're making me nervous," Ted joked as he pulled the lid off of the box. He gasped as he pulled the paper aside and revealed the CD "_Tosca_," he muttered.

"It's the 1984 recording. I remember you saying that you wanted it."

" I have been looking for this for years! Where did you find it?"

"At Barnes and Noble. I was surprised that they still carried it, since it's been out for twenty years."

"I hope it didn't cost too much..."

"I didn't care about the price. As long as it makes you happy, that's all I care about."

"I love it, thank you." He hugged Blake closely.

Blake kissed him lightly on the lips. "These last six months have been the best of my life."

"Mine, too."

"I love you so much, Ted."

"You, too." Ted took Blake's face in his hands and kissed him passionately. "You mean more to me than anything in the world."

"Even opera?" Blake joked.

"Yes, even more than opera."

Laughing, they fell back onto the bed. Ted reached over and flicked off the light.

* * *

Across town, Emmett and Calvin sat in the living room of their apartment, eating ice cream. "That was the best meal I have ever had," Calvin said, rubbing his stomach. "Where did you learn to cook like that?"

"From my mama," Emmett replied with a faint smile. "While my brothers and sisters were playing out in the yard, I'd help Enid in the kitchen. We used to make pies together."

"I wish I could have met her." Calvin scooted closer to Emmett and stroked his hair lovingly.

"You would have liked her. She was a real chatterbox but she had a good heart."

Calvin laughed quietly and ate another spoonful of ice cream. "So, what else do you want to do tonight?"

"I don't know, there's a Lana Turner marathon on AMC, but that what I wouldn't want to subject you to that. We could play Scrabble."

"Emmett, it's our six month anniversary and you want to spend the night at home?"

"Yeah." Emmett shrugged.

"That's not like you at all. You love to go out. Come on, let's go to Babylon and dance all night long. We could call Ted and Blake and see if they want to join us."  
Emmett smiled faintly. "Nah, Teddy's celebrating his own six month anniversary. I'm sure he and Blake are...listening to opera or something."

"What about Michael and Ben?" Calvin suggested.

"I doubt Michael would want to go out. Ever since he started writing that goddamn book, I haven't seen hide nor hare or him."

"Fine, Brian and Justin." Calvin was grasping at straws.

"I'm not that desperate," Emmett joked. "They're probably at home rewriting the _Kama Sutra._"

Calvin sighed. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" he asked, rubbing Emmett's shoulder consolingly. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

"Nothing's wrong," Emmett replied, meeting Calvin's gaze. "I just don't feel like going out tonight. It's our anniversary, I want to spend it with you, here." He reached up and straightened the collar of Calvin's shirt. "It's nice to stay in and relax together. I've been working so much lately that I feel like I've hardly seen you."

"Well, then, I'm not going to complain if you want to spend a quiet evening at home."

"Isn't that what you were just doing?" Emmett stuck out his tongue. "I'm sure there's plenty of things we can come up with to keep us entertained. Starting with the dishes."

They moved into the kitchen. "You're not cleaning up," Calvin insisted. "Go sit down and watch your Lana Turner marathon. I'll take care of it."

"Thanks, sweetie." Emmet smiled and went back into the living room. "I am exhausted. I think I might be coming down with a cold or something."

"Do you want some popcorn?"

"Sure." The truth was, Emmett was stuffed from dinner and the ice cream, but if he didn't eat something, Calvin would start to think something was wrong.

Calvin brought it a bowl heaping with popcorn. "For you," he sang, kissing Emmett's cheek.

"Thanks." Emmett reached into the bowl and grabbed a handful.

"So, what are you watching? Calvin asked, sitting down by Emmett's feet.

"_Flame and the Flesh_. Lana's a brunette in this one. The first time I saw it, I nearly had a heart attack. I'm so used to seeing her with blonde hair."

"What's it about?"

"She gets stranded in Italy with no money, but charms her way into the life of a singer named Nino. That's what she does, she charms men out of their money. When Nino leaves his girlfriend for Lana and they get married, he finds out that she doesn't plan on giving up her schemes."

Calvin nodded. "That sounds...interesting," he lied, reaching into the popcorn bowl.

"It's not my personal favorite, but it's one of her best. Anyway," he turned the TV off, "did you finish the dishes already?"

"There weren't that many. What are you doing? We were watching that."

"No, _I _was watching that," Emmett corrected. "You were bored already."

"I might've come around."

"It's our special night, we are going to find something that both of us want to do. I'd suggest sex, but it's only ten o'clock. And I don't know about you, but I'm not feeling up to four hours of fucking tonight."

Emmett put his head in his hands. "We just have to find something to do."

"I have a great idea. You're going to love it," Calvin said, getting up and heading into the bathroom.

"Calvin, honey, not to be ungrateful or anything, but what could I possibly enjoy in there?"

"You'll see." Calvin's response was followed by the sound of the water running.

"What the hell?" Emmett muttered a few minutes later, following Calvin into the bathroom. "Oh." Calvin had filled the bathtub with water and lit candles, placing them around the room.

"Take a nice, relaxing bubble bath. I'll be waiting in the bedroom," he said, dimming the lights.

"Thanks, baby."

"Don't mention it." Calvin gave a little wave on his way out the door.

Grinning, Emmett took off his clothes and slipped into the luxuriating water, closing his eyes in ecstasy. It was exactly what he needed after the long day at work he'd had. Joanne had been recommending him all over town and now he had so many clients that he could barely keep up with them all. The time off he'd taken to go back to Hazelhurst had only made matters worse. He barely had time to sit down and relax anymore, and if he wasn't careful, his relationship with Calvin would suffer. And that could not happen, not if Emmett had anything to say about it.

The water was so soothing that Emmett dozed off for awhile. When he awoke, the water was barely warm and the candles had a large collection of dried wax at their base. _I don't think I've slept that well in the last month_, Emmett thought, stretching. Between work and worrying about how his father was holding up, Emmett had not been sleeping as well as he was accustomed to. The nap had taken the edge off and now he was ready to break the bed with his partner.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, Emmett crept into the bedroom. Calvin was lying on the bed, completely naked. As soon as he saw him, Emmett felt himself stiffening. "Feel better?" Calvin asked, grinning.

"Actually, I do. Thanks." Emmett padded over to the bed and let his towel fall to the floor. "I feel much better."

"I can tell." Calvin laughed and patted the spot next to him. "Come over here."

"I thought you'd never ask." Emmett crawled over to Calvin and lay next to him. "It's eleven," he noted, looking at the clock.

"So it is. Time to go to bed?" he teased.

"That isn't exactly what I had in mind." Emmett grinned mischievously. "That bubble bath did wonders, I feel like I just woke up from the first full night of sleep I've gotten in months."

"Wouldn't you still be tired?" Calvin asked, arching an eyebrow.

Emmett shook his head. "That's not the point. The point is, I feel revitalized and recharged, so if you want to stay up all night fucking, I'm up for it."

"So am I." Calvin leaned over and pressed his lips against Emmett's. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Happy anniversary."

"Happy anniversary."

Calvin switched off the light and moved closer to Emmett. He reached out his hand and rubbed Emmett's cheek. "Everything okay?" Emmett asked, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Everything's fine." Calvin moved Emmett's legs up onto his shoulders and grinned down at him.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Melanie struggles with the toughest case of her career. Lindsay plans a romantic dinner to seduce Melanie, who's been distant lately.


	81. Desperation

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Mel and Linz moved to Toronto so that their children would be able to grow up in a place where they wouldn't have to be mistreated because of their mothers' sexual orientation, vowing to return to Pittsburgh for every holiday.

* * *

Chapter Eighty

"Melanie Marcus," Melanie said into the receiver for the billionth time that day.

"Ms. Marcus, Mr. Reynolds is here to see you," Josh, her assistant, replied.

"Thanks, Josh." Melanie paused. "And it's Melanie, not Ms. Marcus, okay?"

"Yes Ms…. Melanie."

"Thank you."

Melanie returned the phone to its cradle and sighed. As much as she loved her job, she wished that she were at home with Lindsay and the kids. Ever since she'd taken the job at the Gerritsen & Reichs law firm, she'd been nothing but overworked. Apparently they didn't recognize that she had been a partner in her old firm back in Pittsburgh. They were making her start from the bottom and work her way up to the top – as if it hadn't been bad enough the first time.

If she had been a man, they probably wouldn't have batted an eye, but because she was a woman, she had to prove herself. Funny how even in a politically cutting edge country like Canada, which not only accepted, but embraced homosexuality, some backward principals still remained. At least she was able to live in peace with Lindsay here and not have to worry about some lunatic, homophobic assholes trying to blow them up. _Thank God for small favors._

Melanie stood and gathered together the files on her desk. She'd recently taken on a new case – as if the million she already had weren't enough – and her first actual meeting with the client was about to begin. She'd been up all night poring over legal briefs and boning up on the client's past. Apparently he had had quite a colorful youth. She yawned into the back of her hand and took a quick sip of her coffee. As soon as the cold liquid invaded her mouth, she spit it back out. "What the fuck!"

She threw her mug back on the desk and groaned. _Can nothing go right today? _She'd barely gotten any sleep the night before and now her coffee was cold. She glanced down at her watch. No time to make a fresh pot. Her client was early and the sooner she met with him and discussed his case, the sooner she could move onto the rest of her caseload.

There was a light knocking on the door. It had to be Josh. "Come in," Melanie called, pulling on her suit jacket. The door opened and Josh came in red-faced. For some reason, Mel intimidated him. _Probably because he knows that I could kick the shit out of him if push came to shove. _The idea brought a smile to Melanie's face.

"Uh…Mr. Reynolds is here," Josh stammered, looking anywhere but at Mel.

"Send him in," Melanie replied, straightening in her chair.

With a slight nod, Josh scampered from the room and a few seconds later, a tall, ruggedly handsome man came in "Mr. Reynolds," Melanie said, shooting to her feet. "It's so nice to finally meet you." She pumped his hand enthusiastically.

"You, too." Reynolds laughed. "Wow, that's…quite the handshake you've got there."

"Thanks." Melanie cleared her throat. "Have a seat." She motioned to the chair in front of her desk.

"Thanks for doing this. I really appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it." Melanie shrugged. "It's my job." James Reynolds' case was one that Melanie couldn't help but take an interest in.

After a misspent youth of countless drug possession and DUI charges, James had married a young woman and had a child. After James was once again arrested for possession of an illegal substance, he'd been carted off to prison. After a year, he'd been released for good behavior. But the happy home he'd been expecting to return to was not as he'd hoped. His wife Rachel had developed a drug addiction of her own and after a night out with her presumably similar minded friends, she'd come home and overdosed on heroin, leaving her two-year old son to fend for himself. Until the neighbor, hearing the child screaming for hours had come over and found the body.

James wanted custody of his son, Ryan, but Rachel's parents, also vying for custody, argued that the child would be better off in their care, away from his convict father. Since being released from prison, James had been on his best behavior: meeting with his parole officer on time and passing all of his drug tests. His days as a drug addict were through, but Rachel's parents either couldn't or wouldn't see past his earlier mistakes.

And so, Melanie's boss, Erik Reichs had given the case to her. If anyone could relate to the situation it was Melanie. While she had never been a drug addict or done time in a federal prison, she knew what it was like to be judged for something that was out of her control and have the possibility of losing her children. She vowed to do everything in her power to get James the custody of his child.

Melanie sat down in her chair and neatly folded her hands on the desktop. "I've been going over your files…" she began.

"Hold on a second," James interrupted, holding up a hand. "Before you say anything, let me explain. I know that I have a…sketchy past…." He sighed. "But that's not who I am anymore. I'm not the person I was ten years ago. I know you must hear that all the time, but I mean it. I have been on nothing but my best behavior since I got released. Just ask my parole officer. He'll back me up. And I am more than able to care for my son. I have a steady job and an apartment. There's even a great grammar school right down the block. Ryan would be more than well cared for. So, please, I am begging you…." James' eyes were pleading, "Please, help me get the custody of my son. I am his father. He belongs with me."

Melanie was silent for a moment, taking in the man's plead. The tears in his eyes were genuine. She'd seen plenty of distraught parents to know. This man meant was he said. "I'm not the one you have to convince, James," she said softly. "But for what it's worth, I believe you. I'm on your side."

A relieved smile tugged at James' lips. "I don't know how to thank you!" he exclaimed, jumping up from his chair.

"What did I tell you before?" Melanie teased, smiling, too. "I'm a parent, I know where you're coming from."

James nodded. "So, do you think we can win this case?" he asked, the smile vanishing from his face.

"With a good enough lawyer? Sure." Melanie leaned back in her chair.

"And are you a good enough lawyer?"

"You bet your ass I am." She laughed.

"So we can win this?" James asked hopefully.

"Well, I can't guarantee it one hundred percent, but I think that there's more than enough evidence to prove that you're more than qualified to get custody."

"But my past…"

"Like you said, the past is the past. It's now that matters."

"So, what do we do?"

Melanie met his gaze. "You go into that courtroom and give them the speech you just gave me, you'll practically have the judge eating out of the palm of your hand. That and a testimony from your employer and parole officer should be enough to cement it."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

After a quick brainstorming session, James was on his way. As Melanie shut the door behind him, she glanced at her watch again. _12: 20. Lunchtime. _As she turned to shut off the computer, she caught sight of her caseload. _How could I forget how much I still have to do? I guess I'll have to skip lunch. Again. No wonder I've been so cranky lately._

She dove into her work, losing track of time. She wanted to have enough done that she could go home at six and have dinner with her family. It seemed that she never got to see the kids anymore and Jenny Rebecca was almost two. There were so many things that she didn't want to miss. _Now I know how Michael feels. _And while she hadn't told Lindsay anything about being overworked – not wanting to give her another reason to want to go back to Pittsburgh – their sex life had taken a beating. She couldn't remember the last time they'd made love. By the time she got home and finished all her work for the day, Melanie was so beat that she usually fell into and bed was fast asleep before her head hit the pillow. That, of course, was the nights that she actually got to sleep.

The sound of the phone ringing tore through her head. Sighing at yet another distraction, she reached for the receiver without looking up. "Melanie Marcus."

"Mel." It was Lindsay.

"Linz. Hey!" The sound of Lindsay's warm voice made a burst of euphoria shoot through Melanie's body.

"Hey. When do you think you'll be home tonight?" Her tone was hopeful.

"Hopefully six. Why? You don't have another teacher's conference, do you? Cause I'm sure we could bribe Jeanie into babysitting…"

"No, nothing like that." Linz paused. "I was thinking that tonight we could do something special for dinner."

"Like going out?" Melanie cringed. As much as she loved the idea of a date night with Lindsay, the thought of going out after a long, hard day at the office made her head hurt.

"No. I was thinking maybe a nice home cooked meal."

"Sounds good to me. What's the occasion?"

"There is none. It's just my way of saying I love you."

"Aw, I love you, too, Boo Boo." Melanie cast a quick look up to make sure that no one was in the room to hear her call Lindsay by her pet name. Luckily, no one had.

Lindsay laughed. "Okay, so I'll see you about six, then?"

"Six it is." Melanie smiled, feeling like her old, less stressed self.

"I can't wait."

"Me neither."

"All right. See you later."

"Bye Linz."

Melanie hung up and closed her eyes for a second, reveling in the peace that overwhelmed her. At that moment, however, Josh knocked on her door, interrupting again. Groaning quietly, Melanie massaged her temples. It was going to be along day. And her dinner with Lindsay couldn't come fast enough.

* * *

Lindsay pulled the brownies out of the oven and set them on top of the stove to cool for a minute. Checking the time quickly, she rushed across the kitchen and into the dining room, digging through the drawers for the candles. She'd already set the table with the good Empress Alexandra china and poured two glasses of fine red wine. All that was missing was Melanie. Of course, it wasn't quite six o'clock yet, so Lindsay wasn't worried. She had thought long and hard over the past couple of weeks about a way to bring the spark back to her relationship with Melanie. While she had no doubt in her mind that Mel loved her, they hadn't been intimate in over a month and while Lindsay had never considered herself a sex addict, she enjoyed being intimate with her partner. She wouldn't let the Lesbian Bed Death fall upon them again – Leda wasn't around to fix everything like she had been the last time.

After picking Gus up from school, Lindsay had taken him and JR over to Melanie's cousin Jeanie's house. Conveniently, Jeanie lived just a few blocks away and loved the kids as her own. Without two kids to care for, she'd had plenty of time to run to the market and buy all of Melanie's favorite foods and prepare them, literally making a feast. If this didn't ignite Mel's passion, Linz didn't know what would.

The sound of the door opening brought Lindsay to her feet. "Mel?"

"Honey, I'm home," Melanie called from the front hall. "Where are you?"

"In the dining room," Lindsay called back, finding the candles and hurriedly setting them in the center of the table and lighting them.

Melanie came into the dining room and paused. "What's all this?" she asked, mouth dropping open at the sight of the otherwise dark room illuminated by a dozen or so candles, flickering in their holders in the center of the table. The rest of the table was covered with a cornucopia of foods: everything from bread rolls and cheeses to tilapia and spring rolls. All of her favorites were there.

"A romantic dinner for two," Lindsay announced, moving over to Melanie and kissing her softly. Melanie returned the kiss eagerly. "What did you expect?"

"Something a lot simpler." Melanie sighed. "Linz, you didn't have to go to all this trouble to make dinner…"

"Nonsense." Lindsay waved it off. "I wanted to. Now sit down, the food's going to get cold."

"Yes, ma'am." She looked around. "Where are Gus and Jenny Rebecca?"

"At Jeanie's for the night. I wanted it to be just us."

"Sounds good to me."

They sat down and ate in companionable silence for a few minutes. "Mmmm, this is so good, Linz," Mel moaning quietly.

"I'm glad you like it. I spent a lot of time making it."

"What did I do to deserve this?"

"You make me happy."

Smiling, Melanie leaned in and pressed her lips against Lindsay's. "Not as happy as you make me." Lindsay quickly blinked away the tears that suddenly sprung up in her eyes. She'd forgotten how good it felt to be with Melanie without the kids, jus the two of them. Maybe they should have a date night each week.

"Hey." Melanie gently turned Lindsay's face toward hers. "What's wrong?" she asked, brows knit in worry.

"Nothing." Lindsay sniffled, laughing softly. "I've just missed this."

"Me, too."

They kissed again and Lindsay rested her head on Melanie's shoulder, elation making her heart pound. Maybe she was being paranoid about the Lesbian Bed Death. Only time would tell.

After eating and cleaning up, they went upstairs to the bedroom. "I have anther surprise for you," Lindsay announced, pausing to light a few candles.

"What, more food? If I didn't know any better, I'd think that you were trying to fatten me up."

"No." Lindsay laughed. "I like you just the way you are, but the surprise does involve food."

"Hopefully chocolate, too," Mel said. "I've had a major craving the last couple of days."

"Then you're in luck." Lindsay smiled. "I'll be right back."

"I'll be here," Melanie promised, sitting down on the edge of the bed, unbuttoning her shirt seductively.

Lindsay hurried downstairs to the fridge and pulled out the tray of strawberries she'd prepared earlier. Setting that on the counter, she took a block of chocolate from the cupboard and put it in the microwave, waiting until it was warm and creamy before pulling it out. Juggling the tray, she went back upstairs, grinning when she saw Melanie, topless in bed. "Dessert is here," Linz said, biting her lip.

"And just in time." Melanie's voice dripped with lust. It had been a long time. Too long.

Mel gently pulled Lindsay down onto the bed, caressing her hair softly. "Since you're the chef, you get the first taste," she said, dipping a strawberry into the melted chocolate and dangling it before Lindsay. Linz took a bite and nodded.

"You do know that I didn't actually make this myself, right?" she teased, dipping a fresh strawberry into the chocolate and feeding it to Melanie.

"Close enough."

By the time the strawberries and chocolate were gone, Melanie was aroused enough to pounce on Lindsay. She pushed her back onto the bed and slipped a hand onto her blouse, caressing her erect nipples through the silk. Lindsay moaned quietly, the absence of Melanie's touch forgotten as pleasure swelled over her. And even though they hadn't done anything yet, she started to breath heavily.

Melanie pulled Lindsay's jeans off, pinning her legs up on her shoulders. Seeing the ecstasy in Linz's eyes, Mel started to kiss a soft trail down her thigh, slowly, inch-by-inch moving inward. "Oh, God!" Lindsay gasped, arching her back as Melanie found her mark.

The taste of Lindsay on her lips drove her on. She'd missed this so much. And from now on, she vowed to make time for this every week. Lindsay was so hungry for affection that even the slightest touch nearly brought her over the edge. She didn't want Lindsay to get the wrong idea and think that she had grown tired of her was going to stray again. And she certainly didn't want Lindsay to cheat again. Especially with a guy.

Melanie pushed those thoughts out of her head and focused on the task at hand. Lindsay was moaning so loudly now that Mel knew by experience that her climax was almost upon her. Moving her tongue faster, she brought Lindsay to her orgasm. The scream that escaped her lips was so loud that it rung off the walls, reverberating back to their ears.

Lindsay sighed contentedly and kissed Mel. "That was great," she gasped, panting.

"It's my way of thanking you for dinner," Mel teased, laughing.

"I guess it's a good thing I can cook, then." Lindsay giggled.

"So if I cook dinner tomorrow night, do I get rewarded, too?"

"You don't have to cook dinner." Lindsay sat up and reached into the bedside stand, pulling out their favorite vibrator. "It's time for me to show my appreciation." Following Lindsay with her eyes, Mel caught sight of the time. _Shit! It's nine o' clock already! And I've still got a shitload of work to do before I can go to bed. _

"Linz…" Mel grimaced. "It's getting kind of late."

"What?" Lindsay's face fell in disappointment.

"I've got some stuff to do before I go to work tomorrow…."

"Fine."

Lindsay pulled away from Mel and slipped into her bathrobe. "I'm going to go call Jeanie and check up on Gus and Jenny Rebecca." Her tone was clipped.

"Come on, Linz." Mel sighed. "Don't be angry."

"I'm not angry." Despite her assurance, it was obvious that she was. Without another word, Lindsay slipped out of the room.

Groaning in frustration, Melanie fell back onto her pillow. She wanted nothing more than to tell Lindsay that the reason that she'd been so distant lately was because of her huge workload, but she couldn't stand the embarrassment of having to admit that she wasn't top dog anymore. And even if she did tell Lindsay the truth, Linz would tell her quit and go to another law firm, but Mel knew from her research prior to moving that Gerritsen & Reichs was the best firm in Toronto. If she stuck through, she knew that she'd eventually make partner again. She'd wouldn't be the peon anymore. She'd have more power to help her clients and more money to support her family. Maybe even enough for Lindsay to be able to stay home and take care of the kids like she wanted.

Glancing at the clock again, Melanie sighed and pulled her shirt back on. Time to get back to work.

In the bathroom down the hall, Lindsay sat on the edge of the tub, crying silently. She had tried everything she could to connect with Melanie and while it had started to work, in the end, Melanie had chosen work over her. And that wasn't a good sign. There had been plenty of times when confronted with the choice that Mel had chosen her partner over her job, so why was this time so different?

She hugged her arms to herself, wishing that it were Melanie's arms around her, not her own.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Michael finally meets with a publisher and comes to a decision regarding his novel.


	82. Michael's Decision

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Michael was approached by his creativing writing professor to turn his short story into a novel.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-One

Michael was once again in his creative writing class. It had been over a month since Professor Doherty had talked to him about writing a novel and he still hadn't made up his mind. Writing a novel sounded like a wonderful, life-altering experience, but was he really talented enough to do it? He didn't want to go through all the trouble to have his book not even get published like Ben's second novel had. Did he really even want to do it? Or had Professor Doherty pushed him into doing something that he didn't want to do and would come to regret?

His mind was so busy spinning the threads of his plight that he wasn't even paying attention in class. Professor Doherty was giving the class the material for an upcoming quiz. But Michael just couldn't focus on anything else. Over the last month, it had become like an obsession to him. It didn't help that he had Ben, Hunter, and his mother trying to push him into doing it. He didn't even know what he wanted anymore.

Class was dismissed, bringing Michael back to reality. "Shit!" he hissed, mentally kicking himself. Without the notes that Professor Doherty had just given the class, there was no way that he would know exactly what was on the upcoming quiz. And if he failed the quiz, his grade would go down. He was trying his hardest to maintain an A. Cursing himself and the stupid notion of writing a novel, he gathered his belonging and descended the steps to leave the auditorium. He contemplated asking Professor Doherty for the notes, but ruled against it. If he did, he'd have to explain why he hadn't been paying attention in class, and he got the impression that Doherty was no a man who appreciated negligence.

Sighing, he was on his way out when he heard Professor Doherty call his name. "Michael."

"Yeah?" He turned around, heart in his throat. _Fuck!_ He'd been caught and now he was going to fail the course. Doherty was going to stop favoring him and he'd be kicked out to the curb. All thanks to a ridiculous fantasy.

"Did you get the notes?" Doherty asked, leaning against his lectern.

"Honestly? No, I didn't, sir," Michael confessed, red-faced.

"I noticed that you seemed a little distracted."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"What's bothering you, Michael?"

"It's nothing," Michael lied.

Doherty laughed. "Well, it had to be something to grab the attention of my best student and make him completely zone out during a lecture."

"Okay." Michael sighed. "Ever since you talked to me about writing a book, I've been thinking about it nonstop. It's starting to drive me crazy. I think about it all day and night. Christ, I even dream about it! That's pretty dumb, huh?"

"Not at all." Doherty leaned forward conspiratorially. "Sometimes when your dream is finally realized, it's takes precedence over everything else."

"That's the thing, though. I'm not even sure that that is my dream." He licked his dry, parched lips. "I mean, I thought running the comic store and writing _Rage_ was my dream. And since I've started doing those things, I've felt complete for the first time in my life."

"People can have more than one dream," Doherty said gently. "And besides, writing a novel doesn't mean that you can't run your comic shop and continue to write _Rage_." He shrugged. "Maybe writing a novel is the a part of your dream that you never realized before."

"Maybe." He shrugged.

Doherty eyed Michael over the top of his glasses. "Would you like to meet my friend? The publisher from New York."

"I guess."

"Good. He's supposed to be coming into town sometime this week and we should all get together. I think it would be good for you to meet him and talk about it. He can answer any questions and concerns you might have."

"Okay." Michael felt a little better. Maybe if he talked to this guy about it, he could finally make up his mind once and for all.

"I'll give you a call when he gets to town. And then we'll work out the details later."

Michael nodded. 'Thanks, Professor Doherty."

"You're welcome, Michael."

Slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder, Michael made his way out to the quad. He pulled his light jacket closer against the autumn wind. Winter would be coming soon and he was not looking forward to it at all. He hated riding his bike when the temperature was below zero. He was secretly saving up enough money to buy a car. He hadn't told Ben yet because he knew how much Ben wouldn't like it. He preferred physical exercise to being comfortable.

He stopped at the bike rack and unchained his bike. It was one of the only bikes at the bike rack. Apparently everyone else could afford a vehicle. Sighing, he straddled the bike and used his right foot to raise the kickstand. He started pedaling and navigated his way down the sidewalk and into traffic.

Fifteen minutes later, he stopped in front of the comic shop. He got off the bike and chained it up again. He might not like it, but if his bike was stolen, he'd have to walk. And there was no way in hell that he was going to be walking around Pittsburgh in the dead of winter. Then again, he could always call Brian. Brian and Justin were in town every day of the week, and as his best friend, Brian wouldn't mind giving him a ride.

Michael unlocked the door and went in, flicking the light on and switching the CLOSED sign to OPEN. He crossed to the front window and opened the curtains he'd put up after someone had thrown a brick through the window back in March. He shook out of his coat and set it on the stool behind the counter. He booted up the computer and sat down.

Within a minute or two, the customers started rolling in. The new shipment had just come in and he'd been late getting home the night before because he'd been busy doing inventory. "Can I help you find anything?" he asked a young guy, who was looking around with his brows knit.

"Do you have the new issue of _Rage_?" he asked.

Michael sighed. "There isn't a new issue yet."

"Well, when is it coming out? The ending of the last issue was so good and I want to know what happens next."

"I honestly don't know." He chewed his lip. "I've been busy lately with school and everything, but I'll get a hold of Justin soon and see if we can't work out a time when we can start working on it again."

"I hope you do. _Rage_ is like, my favorite comic book series. I want to know what happens with Rage and J.T., and Zephyr, of course."

"Don't worry. There will be another issue. It just might be awhile before it comes out. Justin and I love doing it."

"Is there anyway I can check back with you without being a bother?"

"You're not a bother." Michael laughed. "I love my readers. And if you check the website, I try to update it at least thee times a week."

"All right, I'll do that."

"Okay." Michael smiled. "Thanks for stopping in."

"Thanks, Michael."

After lunch hour, business petered off again. Michael went on the Internet and updated the website.

_Coming soon: Rage Volume 2, Issue 3. _

He'd call Justin later and see if he wanted to meet for lunch the following day to brainstorm. It had been a few months since they'd last released an issue and if they didn't come out with one soon, they risked losing their clientele.

The sound of the phone ringing broke his concentration. "Red Cape Comics," he said, picking the phone up.

"Michael?"

"Yeah. Who's this?"

"This is Professor Doherty."

"Oh, hi." Michael knit his brow in confusion. "What's up? Did I forget something in the auditorium?"

"No." Doherty laughed. "It's nothing like that."

"Oh."

"I'm calling because I just got off the phone with my friend. He's going to be in town tomorrow night."

"Shit."

"What?"

"Tomorrow's family night. If I miss it, my ma will kill me."

"Maybe we could do lunch, then," Doherty suggested.

His schedule was pretty busy the following afternoon. He couldn't afford to take another afternoon off from work. "No. Why don't you guys just come to dinner? My ma loves to cook and there's always enough left over to feed all of the Ethiopian orphans." He laughed. Debbie's leftovers always fed the house for a few days, which saved Michael and Ben from having to figure out what to make.

"If you're sure that we wouldn't be imposing…"

"It's no imposition. We'll just set a few extra places."

"All right."

"Dinner's at six thirty."

"Six thirty, all right."

"I'll send you my address."

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

"See ya."

Michael hung up and grinned. The end to his torment was nigh. One way or another, he'd make his decision once and for all.

* * *

"He's coming here?" Debbie exclaimed, eyes wide in excitement, the spoonful of milk frozen over the pot of noodles cooking on the stove.

"Yeah, Ma. He'll be here in half an hour." Michael rolled his eyes. He loved his mother more than anything, but she could be so dramatic sometimes.

"A big-shot publisher is going to be here! And he's going to talk you into using your head for once and writing that goddamn book."

"Thanks." He sighed.

"You know what I mean, honey. You'd be out of your mind not to take him up on his offer. How many people can say that they're a published author?"

"Uh…Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Anne Rice…"

"Don't get smart with me." She bussed him on the cheek playfully. "You know that I just want the best for you."

"I know," he admitted. "I'm just afraid."

"Of what?"

"Failing. Making a fool of myself."

Deb moved the pot off of the heat and crossed to Michael. "You listen to me." She took his face in her hands. "You are not going to fail, you hear? You're a smart, talented, wonderful person. Nothing is standing between you and your dreams except for yourself. So quit self-sabotaging this and make me proud."

"Okay." Michael grinned sheepishly. His mother was right. He was self-sabotaging it. All because he was afraid that no one would want to read his work. And he knew deep down that if he didn't at least give it a go, he'd regret it for the rest of his life. "Now, let's hurry up and finish dinner. They're going to be here soon."

Dinner was being set on the table when the guests arrived. The doorbell rang and Michael shot a nervous glance at Ben. "Go answer it!" Debbie commanded, shooing him away.

Ben nodded encouragingly and with a small kiss, Michael hurried to answer the door. Professor Doherty looked nice in his street clothes, but nowhere near as nice as his friend. Michael felt himself blushing as his eyes—as is of their own accord – shifted down to the front of his dress pants. From what he could see, the man was well endowed. _Christ, I'm thinking like Brian. Next thing I know, I'll be fucking him on the dining room table._

"Hi," he said, clearing his throat.

"Nice to see you again, Michael." Doherty smiled. "And this is Jim Braddock, CEO of Ingeoe Publishing."

"Nice tot meet you." Jim held out his hand.

"You, too." Michael shook his hand, hoping that his palms weren't sweaty. "Thanks so much for coming over."

"Thank you for writing such an amazing short story."

"You've read it?"

"Of course. Gregory here faxed it to me."

Any further conversation was nipped in the bud by Debbie. "Dinner's ready!" she yelled, loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.

Introductions were quickly made and everyone sat down to eat. Jim kept a watchful eye on Michael. "What inspired you to write the piece?" he asked.

"Well, I was having a lot of trouble finding something to write about and I asked Ben because he's a published author," Ben smiled, blushing a little, "and he told me to write about what I know." He shrugged. "Gay people aren't that different from straight people. We like to go out to the clubs and have fun: drink, meet people, hook up with them."

"You and I know that, but the rest of the world, especially America, doesn't seem to. Now, my hope is that if you were to decide to turn this into a novel and publish it, it could help the Gay Rights Movement tremendously."

"Why do you care about the Gay Rights Movement?" Debbie asked, her tone suspicious.

"Ma!" Michael hissed.

"It's okay, Michael." Jim laughed. "While I myself am not gay, I have a brother who is."

"Okay." Debbie smiled, her test of character passed.

"Now, with the buzz still glowing from that Human Rights Committee meeting you spoke at, now is the time to act." Jim continued.

"What buzz?" Michael frowned.

"That meeting has launched a new mobilization of the Gay Rights Movement and has made you a leader. To be honest, that's what drew me to you in the first place."

"It has?" Michael shot a look at Ben, who shrugged.

"Of course. Your speech was so genuine and heartfelt that it struck a chord. If you wrote a book, you could spread your message even further. And, I know that you must be thinking that a book about a group of gay men and women from Pittsburgh doesn't exactly sound like a publisher's dream, but the main goal of my firm is to publish new, cutting-edge material. I think your novel would be the perfect addition."

Michael sipped his wine. "But what if we go through all the trouble of writing it and getting it published and no one even wants to read it?"

"That's a risk we all take," Jim reminded him. "But just think about how much you could help out your community. Wouldn't you like to be able to legally marry Ben one day soon? And wouldn't you like to be able to have the same rights as the rest of the citizens of this country?"

"I don't know what to say," Michael confessed. "I still can't believe that I'm considered a leader in the Gay Rights Movement."

"I always knew you'd do something to make the world a better place," Debbie said, dabbing at her eyes with a napkin.

"You need some time to think about it, that's cool." Jim shrugged. "We don't have to publish it now. We can wait a few years if that's what makes you comfortable, but quite frankly, I have to say that you'd be out of your mind not to at least consider it. Opportunities like this are rare to come by. I can't guarantee that if you don't act on it now, that it'll still be open later on down the road."

"I understand." Michael nodded. "I just need a moment to clear my head. Excuse me."

He stood up and went into the kitchen, taking deep, steadying breaths. His mind was racing and he couldn't focus. How could all of this really be happening to him? He was nothing but an average gay man from Pittsburgh. He wasn't a celebrity and he certainly hadn't done anything to draw such attention. And how was he a leader in the Gay Rights Movement? He was no Martin Luther King Jr. or Susan B. Anthony. He was nobody special.

He went into the refrigerator and grabbed a water bottle, gulping down half of its contents in one fell swoop. He needed to think, to talk it over with someone – preferably Brian – but he didn't have time to call right now and it would be rude to go and find him. He had to make his decision, and fast.

Michael sat down and rested his head in his hands. His fear of failure was stopping him from taking advantage of the chance of a lifetime. _What would Brian do? _he asked himself. _Well, that's an easy one. He'd fuck Jim and then he'd write the book. He wouldn't give a shit whether people liked it or not. He' d do it because he'd know that his happiness is what matters, not other peoples'. Why can't I be more like Brian?_

Then it hit him: he could be more like Brian. He just had to bury his fear and listen to his heart. Fuck what anyone else thought. He didn't want to be on his deathbed and have any regrets, especially not one like this.

Michael stood up and setting his chin determinedly, he went back into the dining room. Everyone looked up at him in anticipation. _Think like Brian,_ he urged himself. He cleared this throat, wringing his hands nervously. "I've done some thinking about your offer, Jim…"

"Uh huh," Debbie pressed, practically falling out of her chair.

"And I've decided that I want to do it."

"Yes!"

Before Michael could say anything else, he was buried between Debbie and Ben. Apparently he'd made the right decision. And the best part was, it hadn't even been that hard, after all.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Thanksgiving rolls around, which means the family will be back together to celebrate.


	83. Thanksgiving

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Before Mel and Linz moved to Toronto, Debbie told them that they'd better get their asses back to Pittsburgh for every holiday.

Justin got his own exhibit in the Peter Blum Gallery in New York.

Michael started writing a novel.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Two

Quicker than anyone expected, Thanksgiving rolled around. They usually had Thanksgiving dinner at Debbie's house, but with the new additions to the family––Jennifer, Tucker, Molly, Carl, Lance, Robert, Antonique, Blake, and Calvin––plans were made to have it at Britin. "I need a bigger house," Debbie had complained. Regardless, she cooked the food at home, refusing to let Brian and Justin lift a finger. "Just because I can't host the party doesn't mean that I'm not still calling the shots." Neither Brian nor Justin had argued. They had learned many years before that arguing with Debbie was futile.

The doorbell rang and Brian opened the door, hoping it was Melanie, Lindsay, and Gus. It was. Instead of flying in and having to be picked up at the airport, they had decided to just make the drive. It took longer, but was more convenient for everyone else. "You two again?" he asked, scowling. As much as he pretended to dislike them, everybody knew that he loved them.

"Sorry to disappoint," Mel replied, pushing past him.

"Happy Thanksgiving." Lindsay leaned in and gave Brian a peck on the cheek. "We brought this just in case you run out." She handed Brian a bottle of wine.

"Thanks, Lindsay." Brian's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Hey, Sonny Boy!" He knelt down and held his arms out as Gus ran towards him excitedly. He kissed the top of Gus's head and rocked him back and forth. "You're back!"

Justin, hearing Gus's excited squealing, came in. "Hey, guys!" he said, hugging first Melanie and Lindsay, then Gus. "I'm glad you made it. It wouldn't be the same without you."

"Without cwazy wesbians?" Brian asked jokingly. "No, dinner would definitely not be the same without the carpet munchers." Mel gave him a wry smile and he arched an eyebrow in response.

"We couldn't let Deb down," Lindsay explained. "She'd never forgive us is we weren't here for her Thanksgiving feast."

"You know, if you dykes are going to keep visiting all the time, you might as well just move back here," Brian pointed out, smiling down at Gus.

"One day," Lindsay promised.

"When things get better, we'll be back," Melanie continued. "And when we do, you'll let us stay here for as long as we want to, right, Brian?" Mel couldn't resist the urge to tease Brian.

"Only if you two promise to stop going down on each other or so much as touch while you're here. I don't think I could handle seeing that every day."

Justin noticed that someone was missing. "Hey, where's JR?" he asked.

"Oh, she's with Michael," Lindsay replied.

"He begged us to stop by and drop her off before we came here," Melanie explained.

"He couldn't have waited until he gets here to see her?" Justin shook his head.

"I guess not. You know how Michael is about his daughter."

"A regular doting mother," Brian answered. "Deb must be so proud."

Melanie and Lindsay went upstairs to unpack. "Daddy, can I go see Brownie?" Gus asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"All by yourself?" Brian pretended to contemplate it for a few seconds. "All right, but be careful. Don't go near the pool and don't go wandering around. To the stables only."

"Okay," Gus promised, running into the kitchen.

"How long until everyone else gets here?" Justin asked.

"Deb said she'd be over about two, and it's...," he looked at his watch, "going on one, so that leaves us an hour to prepare ourselves." He laced his fingers through Justin's. "Why?"

Justin grinned mischievously. "I was going to make some of your favorite Chocolate Chocolate Chip cake as a treat for us later."

"You were?" Brian grinned. "Don't let Deb find out, she'll throw a temper tantrum. Remember, she said that we weren't allowed to make anything."

"I'm making it for you," Justin clarified. "I think that makes it okay, right?"

"I suppose. But you better be careful. You know what they say about chocolate."

"Please, life is enough of aphrodisiac for you. I doubt chocolate is going to make much of a difference."

"We'll see." He chuckled. "But first, I better go make sure that Gus doesn't end up maimed or something."

"That's probably a good idea."

As Brian went outside to check on Gus, the doorbell rang again. Justin sighed and went to answer it. Hopefully everybody else wouldn't show up too early, if he wanted to get the cake done in time for dessert, he had to get started soon. "Hey, Michael," he said, opening the door wide.

"I hope we're not too early," Michael replied, cradling JR against the autumn wind.

"Not really," Justin lied. Ben followed Michael in. "Hi, Ben."

"Hey, Justin." They shared a quick hug before Hunter came in.

"Hey." Hunter walked back to the kitchen.

"He seems to be doing better," Justin noted, snickering.

"Yeah, he is," Ben agreed. "He said something about wanting to go for a walk before dinner."

"That's what I used to say when I first started smoking pot and didn't want my parents to find out."

"So, where's everybody else?" Michael asked, changing the subject. He looked around.

"They're not here yet. Well, except for Mel and Linz, they're upstairs getting unpacked. Brian's out back if you want to go talk to him."

Michael shook his head. "Is there anything I can do to help you? Set the table? Wash the dishes? Cut...lettuce or something?" He shrugged helplessly.

"I'm fine, thanks. Why don't you guys just relax? The TV's in the living room if you want to watch something."

"Thanks." Ben smiled and pulled Michael into the living room.

"Oh, and if the doorbell rings, can you answer the door?" Justin called after them.

"Sure," Michael called back.

"Thank you."

Back in the kitchen, Justin set to work on the cake, all the while watching out the window as Brian and Gus played in the yard. The sight made his heart leap. Brian and Gus looked so happy. In just four months, their daughter would be born and then their family would be complete. Four months. He pulled out his cell phone and called Daphne. Now that Gus was back with Melanie and Lindsay most of the time, he hardly ever saw Daphne anymore. They kept in touch over the phone, but he hadn't seen her since her last doctor's appointment back in October. After a few rings, she picked up. "Hey, Justin," she said. He could hear the grin in her voice.

"Hey, Daph. How are you doing?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yeah..." Justin laughed. "I asked, didn't I?"

"My back hurts, my boobs hurt, my feet hurt...I am so ready to just have this baby and go back to not aching all over and actually sleeping all the way through the night."

Justin nodded even though Daphne couldn't see him. "Are you at your parents' house?"

"Yeah, they're finally talking to me again."

"I can't believe they were upset about this whole thing. You'd think they'd be proud of you for helping someone out."

"My thoughts exactly. So what are you up to?"

"Oh, just making Brian his favorite cake."

"I always knew you'd make somebody a good wife," Daphne teased.

"As long as that someone is Brian, I'm okay with it. Hey, if things get dicey with your parents, you know you're more than welcome to come over here. We're having everybody over."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I'm sure my mom and I will at each other's throats by the time dinner's done."

"Yeah. Anyway, I'll let you go. Happy Thanksgiving."

"You, too. Bye."

"Bye."

Justin put the phone back in his pocket and popped the cake into the fridge to cool. Through the window, he could see that Brian and Gus had raked the leaves into a big pile in the center of the yard and were rolling around in it. Smiling, he went out through the French doors and stood up on the patio, watching. "Looks like you two are having fun," he called.

"We are. Why don't you come play with us?" Brian asked, grinning wickedly.

"Yeah, come on, Justin!" Gus yelled, laughing.

"Okay." Justin ran and jumped into the pile, scattering leaves everywhere. "This is comfy. We should sleep out here tonight."

"No!" Gus laughed again.

"Why not?"

"It's too cold," Gus explained.

"Okay." He heaved a disappointed sigh. "But maybe when you come to visit next summer, we'll have to sleep out under the stars. How does that sound?"

"Good!" Gus squealed as Brian tickled his belly.

"Did the finish the cake?" Brian asked.

"Yeah. It's waiting for you in the fridge."

"Thanks, dear." Brian leaned over and kissed Justin lightly on the lips.

They played outside for awhile, having the time of their lives. Melanie and Lindsay came out and joined them. Brian couldn't help but notice how happy Gus was to have his whole family together at the same time. _Poor kid_, he thought. _It must be so hard for him._ At least Mel and Linds were planning on coming back to Pittsburgh eventually, he just hoped that it wouldn't be too long. There was no way that he would ever even consider moving to Canada, not because he had something against it, he just preferred to stay close to Pittsburgh.

By the time they all went back into the house, everyone else had arrived. "Happy Thanksgiving!" Debbie exclaimed, hugging everyone in succession. "Are you all ready to eat?" Not waiting for an answer, she started to lay food out on the table, somehow managing to fill up the table's length.

"I guess it's a good thing we decided to get the bigger table," Brian whispered to Justin.

"No kidding. Only Deb could cook so much food that she fills up a table as big as this," Justin replied.

"Grab yourselves a plate," Deb ordered. Everyone did as they were told, not wanting to piss her off. Antonique and Robert hesitated uncomfortably, but one look from Deb was enough to make them put aside their reservations.

Everyone sat down and started to eat. They would have said Grace, but Debbie knew that Brian was never one for religion and it was his house after all. Instead, she said a quiet prayer before she eagerly took a bite of her turkey. "This is delicious, Debbie," Jennifer commented. "I've always thought of myself as a good cook but I can't hold a candle to you."

Thanks, Jen. But don't worry, not everyone agrees with you. Right, Emmett?"

Emmett's fork froze halfway to his mouth. "What do you mean?" he asked innocently, looking around at all the eyes staring at him curiously.

"Remember when you insinuated that I use too marinara sauce?" Brian hid his smile behind his napkin.

"Oh...yeah." He blushed. "I take it back," he said, more out of obligation than sincere regret.

"Oh, you do?" Debbie laughed. "Don't worry about it honey, I'm Italian and I love marinara sauce. It's not everybody's favorite, but I just can't get enough of it."

Lindsay turned towards Justin. "Do you know when your exhibit is going to be?" she asked, sipping her wine. The last time they had spoken about it, Justin had still not heard back from Jackson.

"I finally got in touch with Jackson and as of now, it's scheduled for the last week in February. Daphne's due in around that time, so we have the whole month set aside, too, just in case. I hope you all can make it. It'll be nice to see some familiar faces."

"I'll be there, front row center," Debbie assured him, smiling brightly.

"That's the theater," Emmett quietly reminded her.

"What kind of self-respecting fag hag are you?" Ted teased.

"Do you think you'll be able to make it?" Justin asked Melanie and Lindsay.

"We'll do our best," Lindsay promised. "There shouldn't be any reason that I can't, but with Mel's work schedule lately..."

"Sorry," Melanie said. "This new firm is really kicking my ass. They have me working all the time. I'll try to put in for the week off."

Everybody laughed. "You're having your own show?" Antonique asked, speaking up for the first time.

"Yeah. At the Peter Blum Gallery in New York."

"Wow, congratulations."

"Thanks. It's not the Louvre, but hopefully it will get other museums interested in my work."

"Then we can travel all over the world to see your pieces," Emmett added excitedly. "Paris, London, Rome, Tokyo, Hong Kong..." He was practically drooling.

"I doubt that." Justin laughed. "Besides, how many times can you guys see the same paintings before you get bored?"

"Trust me, looking at the same paintings over and over won't matter if we're flying all over the world, sweetie."

"Thanks...I think."

"Anytime."

Inevitably, the conversation turned to Michael's novel. "You've never written anything before?" Robert asked, surprised.

"Not officially. I mean, I write the dialogue for _Rage_ and I used to write stories when I was younger, but nothing like this. This all brand new territory for me."

"I think what you're doing is fantastic, Michael," Jennifer said. "It's an inspiration to the whole gay community."

"Well I don't know about that." Michael blushed.

"He's a little shy about it," Ben explained.

"Have you read any of it?" Jennifer asked.

"Everything he's written so far."

"I can't wait to read it. I just hope I don't come across as a bad mother in beginning when Justin came out to me."

"You don't," Michael assured her.

After dinner, everybody except Debbie and Justin went into the foyer to mingle. "I've got it covered, Deb. Go relax," Justin said, following her into the kitchen. "This isn't the diner."

"Sunshine, if you know what's good for you, you'll shut the fuck up and let me clean," Debbie replied.

"Fine. But at least let me help. You must be exhausted from all the cooking you've done today"

"I am a little," Deb confessed. "All right, you can help, but only by drying. You are not going to be doing the dishes at my Thanksgiving dinner party."

"I'll do anything."

They fell into a routine and before long, the dishes were all clean and put away. "I'm leaving you the leftovers," Deb said, walking toward the fridge.

"Wait!" Justin exclaimed, panicking. The cake was sitting on the bottom shelf.

"What!" Debbie turned around to look at him quizzically.

"Let me do that," he said, taking the bowls from her hands. "Go relax now."

"Jesus Christ, Sunshine, you don't have to yell." Shaking her head, Debbie went to join the others.

"Crisis averted," Justin muttered, opening the fridge. If Debbie had seen the cake, she would not have been pleased, even if he hadn't made the cake for the party.

"And what crisis would that be?" Brian asked, reaching around Justin for a water bottle.

"Deb almost went into the fridge and saw the cake," Justin explained.

"Oh, no. That would've been the end of the world," Brian replied snidely. "Speaking of which, I think it's time we gave the cake a try, don't you?"

"Be my guest."

Brian removed the cover and set the pan down on the island. Justin handed him a fork. "You get first dibs," Brian said. "You made it."

"No, you go ahead. I'm still full from dinner."

"Pussy." Brian took a bite of the cake and grinned. "It's not bad," he commented.

"Oh, come on!" Justin slapped his arm. "It's got to be better than that. I had a little taste while I was making it."

"All right, it's the best Chocolate Chocolate Chip cake I've ever had. Are you happy now?"

"Very." Justin draped his arms around Brian's neck and kissed him. "This has been the best Thanksgiving I've ever had."

"I don't really care for Thanksgiving to be honest. But I did like seeing Gus and Lindsay...and Melanie."

Justin stole the fork from Brian and took a bite of the cake. "You're right, this cake is good."

"I told you." Brian laughed and took the fork back. "You know, we are going to be so fat when we wake up tomorrow."

"We are not!" Justin insisted. "The most we'll put on is a pound or two. Is that really so bad?"

"Just wait until you're my age and then we'll have this discussion again."

"Like you could ever be fat. If you so much as gain an ounce you immediately run to the gym."

Brian laughed. "My metabolism isn't what it used to be. When I was nineteen, I never gained weight. No matter how much I ate. But now that I'm older, I have to be careful. It would be a shame to let this body go."

"Yeah, it would," Justin agreed. "It's the hottest body I've ever seen."

"Yours isn't so bad either."

"I can think of a way to burn off all the food we ate today," Justin whispered conspiratorially.

"Really?" Brian raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Uh huh. I guarantee you'll enjoy it."

"Sounds good to me."

Justin took Brian's hand and led him outside and down the path to the stables. "I don't think we'll be disturbed out here."

"Does it matter if we are?" Brian asked, loosening his belt. Not waiting for Justin's reply, he climbed the ladder leading up to the stable loft. He'd laid fresh hay out over the wooden floor so that when he and Justin came out there to fuck, they'd have a comfortable surface to lay on. When he got to the top, Brian reached down and grabbed Justin's hand, pulling him the rest of the way up. They fell back against the lush hay, Justin on top.

Grinning, Justin lowered his head so that his lips met Brian's. Immediately, he forgot all about their houseful of guests as he felt Brian's hands forcing their way down t's hhe front of his jeans. A quiet moan escaped his lips as Brian's hand hit its mark. He licked his lips hungrily.

They stopped to remove their clothes, tearing at them with greedy hands. Brian lay Justin down, positioning himself down on top of him. He stopped, staring down into Justin's blue eyes. "What?" Justin asked, smiling.

"Nothing," Brian replied, chewing his lip. "I just realized that for once, I actually have something to be thankful for on Thanksgiving."

"I love you, too."

Their bodies molded together, the perfect expression of love.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Unable to pretend that everything is perfect any longer, Lindsay confides in Brian that she and Melanie haven't had sex for months. Brian decides to help solve the problem.


	84. Love the Lesbian Way

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Melanie got the case of her life, unfortunately, it had a negative effect on her sex life with Lindsay.

Brian and Justin hosted a family Thanksgiving dinner at Britin Manor.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Three

The next morning, Brian sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee. For once, Justin wasn't sleeping in, he'd gone to the store to get some breakfast foods. Brian idly flipped through the newspaper, not really absorbing the content. Gus sat across from him, eating some cereal to tide him over until Justin got back. "Where's Justin?" Lindsay asked, sitting down next to him.

"At the store." Brian glanced up from his newspaper and gave her a tight smile. "He'll be back in a bit."

"That was some Thanksgiving celebration last night." Lindsay yawned. "I don't think I've stayed up that late since your Fourth of July party." She laughed at the memory.

"You get all your munching done by eleven?" Brian teased. Lindsay averted her gaze and fidgeted with her collar, trying to straighten it even though it was fine. _Ooh, touchy subject._

Melanie came in and joined them at the table, still in her pajamas. She kissed the top of Lindsay's head lovingly. Linz smiled in return. "God that bed is comfortable. Where did you get it?"

"I had it imported from Italy," Brian answered simply.

"Never mind, then. I can't afford it."

"Maybe one day," Lindsay said encouragingly.

"How long are you two here for?" Brian inquired, fixing his gaze on Melanie.

"Are you trying to get rid of us already?" she replied, laughing.

"Just curious."

"I thought we'd stay for the rest of the week." She shrugged. "If that's okay with you."

"That's fine." Brian smiled.

Justin came in the door, his arms full of bags. "Good morning," he said cheerily.

"Here." Brian grabbed the majority of the bags and nodded toward the kitchen.

"You two are just adorable," Melanie teased.

"Yeah," Lindsay joined in. "Look at how quickly you got up to help him. I don't think I've ever seen you move that fast. Well, not unless you were on the prowl."

"Fuck off," Brian replied.

"Actually, I will. I'm going to go take a shower."

"Don't be too long, I'm starting breakfast," Justin told her.

"I'll hurry."

Mel went upstairs and Justin started cooking in the kitchen, which left Brian alone with Gus and Lindsay. "Hey, Gus, why don't you go help Justin the kitchen?" Brian suggested, smiling. "He loves it when he has someone to keep him company."

"Okay." Gus got up and went into the kitchen.

"So." Brian cleared his throat. Lindsay looked up at him. "How are things on Lesbos?"

"Great," Lindsay replied with a tight smile. "They couldn't be better."

"Mmmhmm, then why did you get so uncomfortable when I mentioned you and Mel earlier?"

"Who said I was uncomfortable?" Lindsay fidgeted with her collar again.

"You do know that you're collar is fine, right?"

Lindsay sighed and put her hands on the table. "Nothing's wrong."

"Don't bullshit me, Lindsay. I'm asking you as your friend, I'm not trying to stir shit up." He took her hand in his and squeezed it. "Tell me," he coaxed.

"Mel and I aren't having sex," Lindsay said, staring down at her hands.

"What?" Brian wasn't sure that he'd heard her correctly.

"Mel and I aren't having sex," she repeated. This time she met his gaze.

"How long has it been?" This wasn't exactly Brian's area of expertise.

"Two months? Give or take."

"That's not that long," he said, trying to sound reassuring.

"Oh, please." Lindsay snorted. "If it was you, you'd never let it get that long."

"Yeah, you're right," Brian conceded. "Do you know why?"

Lindsay shrugged. "I guess we're just going through one of those no sex phases, you know?"

"Not really. You aren't supposed to go through those for another ten years at least."

"The worst part is, I don't even know why. We're not fighting, we're perfectly happy. At least I think we are."

"Mel's not complaining," Brian pointed out. "She's enough of a cunt that she'd say something if she wasn't happy."

"Leave it to you to shit on Mel." Lindsay chuckled.

Brian chewed his lip for a second, his brow furrowed in deep contemplation. "Maybe you guys just need to rekindle the flame."

"And how exactly do you propose that we do that?"

"I'm not a dyke, how should I know?"

"Good point."

"Wait a second." Brian held up a hand.

"What?" Lindsay asked, intrigued.

"I think it's Dyke Night at Babylon tonight."

"No way!"

Brian scoffed. "Do you want to get your pussy eaten or what?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Fine." Lindsay sighed. "I'll see if she wants to go. I doubt she will."

"You'll never know till you ask."

"And what happens if we do go?"

"Then you can pay your first visit to the back room. See what I've been talking about all these years."

"Yeah..." Lindsay scrunched her nose in disgust. "I don't know if that's for me."

"It's your choice. We should probably pay a visit to my favorite sex shop before you go. There's nothing like sex toys to spice things up."

"How would you know?" Lindsay inquired. "The only relationship you've ever been in is with Justin and from what I've ever heard, your sex life is more than healthy."

"That's because we don't let ourselves fall into a routine. Every time is different."

"Thanks for sharing."

By the time Melanie came back downstairs, freshly showered and in jeans, Justin had finished breakfast. "Your turn," Mel said to Lindsay, sitting down next to her.

"After we eat," Lindsay replied, smiling.

"I hope you guys like pancakes. When Gus was here for the summer they were his favorite."

"Are you kidding, I love pancakes!" Melanie laughed. "Maybe this'll inspire Linz to make them more often."

"I will make them as often as you want," Lindsay promised. "Just ask."

After breakfast, Lindsay was on her way up the stairs when Brian caught up with her. "Go take a shower and get dressed," he said, keeping his voice low.

"So we can go to a sex shop?" Lindsay asked skeptically. "I don't know Brian, that isn't really me."

"Look Lindsay, I'm trying to help you here. But I can't do that if you keep shooting down my suggestions."

"I know, I'm sorry. Give me about twenty minutes and I'll be ready."

"That's what I like to hear. I'll be waiting." He smiled and went back down the stairs. Shaking her head in exasperation, Lindsay continued up the stairs.

Brian went into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Justin's waist from behind. Laughing, Justin craned his neck to see him. "What's that for?" he asked, grinning.

"Do I need a reason?"

"No." Justin leaned back, resting against Brian. "What do you want to do today? I thought maybe we could do something fun with Mel and Linz. And Gus, of course."

"That's a great idea. Why don't you, Mel and Gus go the mall and Lindsay and I will go do a little shopping of our own?"

Justin spun around and crinkled his brows. "What for?" He searched Brian's eyes for a hint.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course I can! Spill."

"Things aren't as they seem in Lesbo Land."

"You mean...?"

"No. They're getting along fine."

"Then what's the matter?"

"They're not fucking."

"Oh, my." Justin couldn't help but chuckle. "So what are you going to do?"

Brian sighed loudly. "I am going to take Lindsay to a sex shop. Hopefully we'll find something that can get the job done."

"You're condoning lesbian sex in our house? That's not like you."

"I'm not condoning it here."

"Then where?"

"Babylon. It's Dyke Night."

"Nice. What I don't get is, why do you care if Mel and Linz are having sex or not? I thought you didn't give a shit about anyone but yourself?"

"You know that's not true. I care about you and Gus."

"Okay, you don't care about anyone but you, me, and Gus."

"I guess I care because if they don't start munching soon, things are going to fall apart and I don't want Gus to have to deal with that. And I really don't want to have to listen to Lindsay balling her eyes out over the phone because she and Melanie broke up again."

"You're something else."

About an hour later, after everyone had showered, they left the house. "Why aren't you and Brian coming to the mall with us?" Melanie asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Uh..." Lindsay looked to Brian for help.

"I need Lindsay's expert lesbian opinion on some things," Brian answered, catching Mel's eye in the rearview mirror.

"Oh."

"I'd invite the rest of you along, but I don't hate you that much."

"Thanks, Brian," Melanie said with mock enthusiasm. "It's nice to know that you're looking out for my emotional well being,"

Inside the sex store, Lindsay looked around in wonder at the myriad of sexual paraphernalia surrounding her. "There's so much," she said in wonderment.

"You get used to it," Brian replied cavalierly. "What about this?" He held up a long pink dildo.

"I don't know...I think we should go with something a little smaller."

"Dykes," he muttered, shaking his head reprovingly.

"Fags," Lindsay shot back.

"Come on, let's go check out the S & M section." Brian took Lindsay's arm and dragged her over. "Ah, perfect." He tossed her a pair of handcuffs. "These should do the trick."

Lindsay opened her mouth to protest but Brian glared at her. "And that," he pointed at a mannequin sporting a leather corset. "If that doesn't make her damp in the undies, I don't know what will."

"Thank you, Brian," Lindsay said.

"Don't mention it. Now let's buy this shit and get out of here. If you don't get laid soon your twat's going to grow over."

"Brian!" Lindsay chastised, laughing.

* * *

It hadn't taken much to convince Melanie to go out. "I haven't been to Dyke Night since right after Gus was born," she said, practically yelling to be heard over the din.

"Brian tried to make me go once, but I refused. I was too embarrassed."

"He has a knack for that, doesn't he?'

"Yeah." Lindsay laughed. "You have no idea." She toyed with the button of her jacket. When she had decided not to wear the leather corset out of self-consciousness, Brian had talked her into wearing it, with a jacket.

They made their way to the bar. "Do you want a drink?" Melanie asked, signaling to get the bartender's attention.

"No, thanks," Lindsay replied. She was feeling very uncomfortable and the last thing she wanted was to get shit faced. Besides, some one had to be the designated driver.

"Suit yourself." Mel ordered a beer and turned to look out at the crowd. Babylon usually filled to the brim with scantily clad men, but tonight it was packed with hot women in scant clothing. Every lesbian's wet dream. "So, what brought this on?"

"Brought what on?" Lindsay asked.

"Coming to Dyke Night."

"Oh." She and Melanie had not talked about their problem and Lindsay did not feel comfortable bringing up in public, no matter how loud the music blared. "I just thought it would be fun. You know, try something new."

Melanie shrugged. "I guess. Aren't you hot in that thing?" She reached out and tugged at Lindsay's coat.

"No!" Lindsay exclaimed, holding the coat tightly to her body.

"Okay. Forget I mentioned it." Melanie sipped her drink to dull the sting.

"I'm sorry," Lindsay said, sighing. "I'm just not ready to take it off yet."

"Linz, what the hell are you talking about?"

"You'll see." Lindsay grabbed Melanie's beer and took a sip. If the plan was going to work, she would need a little boost.

"Are you feeling okay?" Melanie asked.

"Yeah, I'm just a little nervous," Linz confessed.

Melanie snorted. "About what? Being around so many dykes?"

"No." Lindsay took a deep breath. "Mel, we need to talk."

"We do?"

"Yeah."

"That doesn't sound good."

"I hope that this will make it better." Lindsay took Melanie's hand and led her away from the bar.

"Where are we going?" Melanie asked warily.

"You'll see."

Somehow, Lindsay managed to find the back room. Luckily, it was pretty much empty. The night had just begun. "Here we are," she said, smiling lamely.

"The back room?" Melanie asked, looking around.

"Mel, we haven't had sex in two months. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Of course it bothers me, but it isn't because I haven't wanted to. I've been so exhausted from working every fucking hour of the day that I haven't had the energy."

"I know." Lindsay looked down at her feet. "It's just, we tried that one time and you stopped right before….  
"It's not your fault." Melanie rubbed Lindsay's shoulder consolingly. "There's something I haven't told you."

"Oh?"

"The case I'm working on right now is the biggest one of my life. It's taking a lot out of me. But the good news is, it's almost done. And as soon as it is, life can go back to normal. I know it shouldn't affect our sex life or anything, but…"

"You don't have to explain yourself. I was just worried that you'd lost interest in me."

"Never. I'm actually relieved that you said something. I was starting to worry that you'd stopped caring."

Lindsay's mouth dropped open. "That could never happen, Mel. I love you more than anything in the world. I could never stop caring about you."

"And you're still my Shiksa goddess." Mel pressed her lips against Lindsay's and worked her hands into Lindsay's coat, grasping at her breasts. When she felt the leather underneath, she arched an eyebrow. "What are you wearing under there?" she asked.

"That's part of your surprise," Lindsay replied, her voice husky.

"Oh?"

Lindsay slipped out of her coat and let it fall to the floor. "Do you like it?" she asked, as Melanie's eyes struggled to take in the sight with the limited lighting.

"Is that...?"

"A leather corset? Yeah, Brian helped me pick it out." Lindsay laughed.

"Remind me to thank him when we get back."

"There's something else, too."

"What now?"

"These." Lindsay bent down and scrounged around in her coat pocket. "He recommended these as well."

"Handcuffs!" Melanie laughed. "I think I'm indebted to him for life now."

"Want to give them a try?"

"I can't wait. But first..." Melanie started to undo the lacing of Lindsay's corset. When it was loose enough, she freed Lindsay's breasts, running her tongue along the nipples.

Lindsay gasped and leaned her head back, eyes closed in ecstasy. She had missed this more than she had realized. _And I owe it all to Brian._ Melanie threw the corset to the ground and pulled Lindsay's skirt down so that she was completely naked, except for her boots. She knelt down and kissed Lindsay's belly, rubbing it. "Oh, God," Lindsay moaned.

"Don't you mean goddess?" Mel teased, working her way down between Lindsay's legs.

Lindsay came quickly and easily, letting out a small groan. "Thank you," she gasped, shivering in delight.

"You don't need to thank me," Melanie assured her.

"But I'm going to anyway." She gently pulled Melanie's arms behind her back and fastened the handcuffs.

They got back to the house before midnight. As they tiptoed down the hall, Lindsay spotted Brian standing outside of his room, looking at her. "I'll meet you inside," she whispered to Melanie. After she was sure that Mel was in bed, Linz met Brian half way down the hall.

"How did your night go?" he asked, staring into her eyes.

"Good," Lindsay answered, playing with her hair nervously.

"Did you fuck her?"

Lindsay laughed. "Yeah, I fucked her." She shook her head in amazement. "It was nice. It turns out that she missed it as much as I did." She smiled up at Brian. "Thanks again."

"Don't thank me. I didn't eat her pussy." With a grin, Brian turned and went into his bedroom.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian realizes that he created a monster. Michael's book has a negative effect on Justin after reading about his prom night. Mel and Linz ruturn home.


	85. Regret

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Tied down with a big case, Melanie started to neglect Lindsay.

Not wanting Gus or Lindsay to be miserable, Brian helped Lindsay seduce Melanie.

Michael starting writing a novel about the lives of himself and his friends.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Four

That Sunday, Brian padded down the stairs, clenching his jaw. "They're at it again," he grumbled, sitting down across from Justin, who was reading Michael's latest chapter on the laptop.

"Again!" Justin widened his eyes in shock. "They've barely come up for air."

"They're putting us to shame. I never thought that that was possible."

"What, that two lesbians are having more sex than we are?" Justin retorted.

"Exactly. It's not right."

Justin chuckled. "We have plenty of sex, Brian," he said. "More than anybody I know."

"Correction, we _used_ to have plenty of sex," Brian shot back.

"I bet that if you add up all the times that we've had sex and compare it to how many times they've had sex, we'd beat them."

"I don't even want to think about it."

"You're seriously perturbed because Mel and Linz are having sex? I thought that was what you wanted."

"It was...until it turned into a fucking marathon. They've been in there for the past three days."

"It's a good thing Gus is too young to realize what's going on," Justin pointed out.

"Speaking of Gus, where is he?"

"He's in the studio, honing his skills."

"Oh." Brian was silent for a moment. "The next time one of our friends comes to me with a problem like this, remind me to send them packing?"

"Sure thing." Justin smiled and went back to reading.

Brian got up and moved over behind Justin. "What are you reading?" he asked, leaning over Justin to peer at the screen.

"The newest chapter of Michael's book," Justin replied, not looking up from the page.

"And what has the brilliant Michael Patterson penned this week?"

"He and Ben just met."

"At least David's finally out of the picture. I never did like him. And I like him even less in print."

"I don't think he cared too much for you either."

"He was just jealous that Michael loved me more."

"That's it exactly." Justin grinned.

Brian chewed his lip for a second. "Did he write about what happened the night of your prom?" Even though it had been five years since the incident, it still caused Brian's blood to run cold at the memory of Justin laying on the cement, blood oozing from his head.

"Yeah," Justin answered, his voice cracking. "Did it really happen like he says it did?"

"If he wrote it like I told it to him; exactly." Brian swallowed past the lump in his throat. Justin shivered. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I thought it would be hard for me to read it, but I was so desperate to remember what happened that night. While it was hard reading about that night, what's going to be even harder is reading about what happens next."

"What do you mean?" Brian raised a quizzical eyebrow. "What could be worse than that?"

"The year that Ben and Michael met, was the year I..." He broke off, nervously averted his eyes.

"Left me for Ethan?" Brian finished for him, clenching his jaw again.

Justin nodded, his face a bright shade of red. "I shouldn't have brought it up. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Brian brought Justin's hand up to his lips and kissed it. "It was my fault that you left. You don't have anything to feel bad about."

"How can you say that after what I did to you?" Justin demanded, tears springing up in his eyes.

"Hey." Brian caressed Justin's cheek, stopping the downward trajectory of one of the tears. "That was a long time ago. We were both different people then. What happened then has nothing to do with our relationship now. The past is the past."

"I guess." Justin buried his face in Brian's chest, desperately seeking comfort.

"Shhh," Brian soothed, hugging Justin tightly as his body was wracked with sobs. It killed him to see Justin so upset. The worst part was that he had no idea of what to do to ease Justin's pain.

When Justin finally regained his composure, he pulled away, dried tears staining his cheeks. "I'm sorry," he said again, sniffling.

"You have noting to apologize for," Brian assured him.

"No, I do." Justin hung his head in shame. "I don't know why I got so upset, I feel like such a baby."

"You're not a baby." Brian smiled grimly. "Maybe reading Michael's story isn't the best idea right now. This is probably a reaction to reading about the night you got bashed."

"Maybe. But I can't stop reading it, Michael's feelings will be hurt. I guess I'll just have to toughen up a bit. Be more like you. I can't bawl my eyes out every time I read something upsetting."

Brian kissed Justin sweetly. "Don't do that. I love you just the way you are."

"Thanks."

"If you don't want him to write about what happened, just tell him. He'll understand."

"No, he can write about it. I guess I'll just have to brace myself for when it comes. As much as I wish I'd never done it, I did. The past can't be undone, so all we can do is look to the future, right?"

"Right." Brian smiled.

"I wonder how Ted will feel when he reads about his addiction," Justin mused.

"Knowing Theodore, he'll probably freak out and start going to his meetings again, just in case he gets tempted."

"Be nice," Justin chided.

An hour passed and Melanie and Lindsay had still not come downstairs. "Okay, that's it. I have to get out of here. I'm going out of my fucking mind," Brian proclaimed, jumping to his feet.

"Where are you going to go?" Justin asked, eying him warily.

"I'll call Michael and see if he wants to meet for lunch. I'd rather listen to Deb fawn over the baby then stay here and listen to cwazy wesbian sex."

"You're taking me with you," Justin ordered. "No way am I staying here alone with two horny lesbians."

"Fine. I guess we'll have to take Gus, then. I'd go let Lindsay and Melanie know, but I don't think I could stomach the sight of them going down on each other." He scrunched up his face in disgust.

"I'll grab him some clothes," Justin offered, rushing up the stairs.

"And I'll get Gus."

Brian went into the studio and paused in the doorway, watching silently. Gus lay on the floor, drawing with crayons. A smile tugging at his lips, Brian walked over to Gus and sat down next to him. "That's really good," he said.

"It's for you," Gus replied, holding out the drawing. It had five stick figures and a brown blob. "That's you, me, my mommies and Brownie."

"I see that. Thanks, Gus. I'll hang it up in my room so that even when you're gone, you'll still be here." _Eugh, that was way too sentimental for me. _Gus beamed up at him. "Hey, do you want to go see Uncle Michael?"

"Yeah!" Gus yelled, jumping to his feet.

Justin came into the room with a change of clothes for Gus. "Here, Gus, you can't go out in your pajamas."

"We'll be right outside," Brian told him, walking out so that Gus could change in privacy.

"Shit," Justin muttered, grimacing.

"What?"

"I forgot to get my coat. It's supposed to be kind of chilly outside."

"I'll take care of it. You stay down here and get Gus loaded into the car. I'll be right back."

"Thanks."

Brian hurried down the hall so that he wouldn't have to hear the passionate moans permeating from the guest room. _I doubt they'd put up with Justin and I fucking like that in their house_, he thought sourly. He went into the bedroom and dug around in the closet until he found Justin's leather jacket. Next to it was the brand new leather jacket that Justin had bought him for his birthday. _Time to break this baby in_. He pulled it off of the hangar and put it on, not bothering to zip it up. It was snug—–just the way he liked it. Looking in the mirror, he nodded approvingly. Smiling, he made his way back down to the hall.

As he passed by, Lindsay stepped out into the hall, clutching her bathrobe tightly. "Hey," she said, nervously tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Hey." They looked at each other for a minute, neither one saying anything. Although Brian had been perturbed by the lesbian sex, he understood that it was important to Lindsay. "Well, it sounds like you and Mel rekindled the flame," he noted.

"Yeah." Lindsay smiled. "Look, I'm sorry. If you want us to go somewhere else or..."

"No. Don't worry about it. I'm taking Justin and Gus out for lunch, so the place is all yours. Feel free to scream as loud as you want."

"We tried to keep it down," Lindsay protested.

"I'm kidding, Lindsay." Brian smiled.

"Really, Brian, I can't thank you enough for this."

"I don't want your thanks. Now get your ass back in there and show her what you've got."

Justin and Gus were already in the Jeep waiting by the time Brian got down. "Here you go," Brian said, handing Justin his coat.

"You're wearing your new jacket," Justin said, excitedly.

"You didn't think I would?"

"I don't know. To be honest, I forgot all about it and I'd assumed that you had, too."

"No. I've just been waiting for the right weather to pull it out. So, what do you think?" He splayed his arms wide so that Justin could get the full view.

"I like it," Justin answered. "I think you look sexy."

"Now there's news," Brian teased. " I better call Michael before we get too far. If he's not going to make it to lunch, then I guess I'll have to call Emmett or Theodore."

"Oh, no! Not those lowly toads," Justin said with mock disgust. "Why are you lowering yourself to associate with them?

"Shut up." Brian swatted at Justin and purposely missed. "That's not what I meant."

He dialed Michael's number and waited patiently for him to pick up. "Hello," Michael's voice said in Brian's ear.

"Mikey."

"Hey, Brian. I didn't expect to hear from you so soon."

"What are you doing right now?"

"JR just got up from her nap and I'm changing her diaper. Why?"

"How about we meet up at the diner in about forty-five minutes?"

"Sure. I'll have to bring JR though, Ben's out at the gym."

"That's fine."

"See you in a bit."

"Later."

Justin looked over expectantly. "I take it Michael's coming?" he asked.

"Yep."

"You're not going to tell him, are you?"

"About Lindsay and Melanie?"

"Yeah."

"No. It's none of his business. Besides, I'm sure that he feels as repulsed by the idea as we do. He is a fag after all."

"Well, they're leaving tomorrow, so you won't have to put up with it for much longer," Justin pointed out.

Brian nodded. "They'll be back. Christmas is only four and a half weeks away."

"Don't remind me. That means that it'll be snowing soon, which also means that one of us will have to go out and shovel the driveway. I'm not looking forward to doing that."

"We could always hire someone else to do it. I'm sure there's some young kid out there eager to make five bucks."

"I think it'll take more than five dollars to get somebody to do our driveway."

Brian laughed. "Can you believe us? Discussing how much it'll cost to have our driveway shoveled. I never imagined that in a million years."

"We've come a long way." Justin reached over and laced his fingers through Brian's.

"Yeah, we have." Brian smiled contentedly.

* * *

The next afternoon, Melanie and Lindsay carried down their bags. "I think that's everything," Lindsay said, setting her bags on the floor.

"I'm not looking forward to making the drive. Traffic's going to be insane once we get to New York," Melanie complained.

"Just wait until we come back for Christmas," Lindsay continued. "Not only will we have to deal with bad traffic, we'll also have to deal with terrible weather."

"Maybe Deb would understand if we stayed home."

"I doubt that." They both laughed at the idea.

They had decided to leave from Britin, drive to Pittsburgh to pick up JR and say goodbye to everyone else before leaving. Brian had initially planned on seeing them off from Michael's, but it didn't make sense to make him and Justin to drive back to Pittsburgh again.

Brian and Justin were in the living room with Gus, sitting on the couch. "I'll be picking you up on Friday, Gus," Brian told him, stroking his hair gently. "Then you, me, and Justin can put up the Christmas tree."

"You'll have to remember to tell Santa what you want for Christmas," Justin added, winking at Brian.

"Yeah. You don't want him to pass you by, do you?"

"No," Gus replied emphatically.

"Okay then. On your way home, I want you to decide what you want and when I come and get you on Friday, we'll write Santa a letter, okay?"

"Okay." Gus smiled.

"Good boy." Brian started to tickle Gus's belly, causing him to thrash around and squeal excitedly. Justin smiled and moved over to avoid getting kicked.

Mel and Linz came into the room, watching amusedly. "He loves it here," Melanie noted.

"I'm glad we decided to give Brian more time with him. Just look at how happy he is," Lindsay replied.

"Brian or Gus?"

"Both."

"Yeah. I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but Brian's a good father."

"Me neither," Lindsay admitted with a small giggle. "I guess he proved us wrong."

"What are you two whispering about over there?" Brian asked, looking over at them.

"Nothing," Mel answered, crossing her arms. "We'd probably better get going soon."

"Already?" Brian frowned.

"We're going to be running into holiday traffic," she reminded him.

Sighing, Brian stood up and nodded. "I guess we'd better go get your coat on, Gus."

"Here." Lindsay grabbed Gus's coat and helped him into it. "Bundle up, it's pretty cold out there today."

"I'll go get the car warmed up," Mel declared, lugging the bags outside.

"I'll help," Justin offered, taking a few of the bags from her.

"Thanks. What would Linz and I do without you?"

"So," Brian said when Melanie and Justin were out of earshot. "I hope everything will stay the way it is with you and Mel."

"I'll try my best," Lindsay promised, smiling. "I wouldn't want to let you down."

"Yeah, you know how I am about second chances," Brian joked.

"Yes, I do." Lindsay's lips started to tremble.

"You're not going to cry, are you?" Brian asked, rolling his eyes.

"No." Lindsay blinked the tears away and smiled grimly. "No crying."

"That's my girl."

As they made their way out to the car, Lindsay bit her lip to reign in her emotions. No matter how many times she said goodbye to her family, it still tore her up inside. _You'll be back soon_, she reminded herself. "So, I'll see you Friday?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah. Justin and I will be there around the usual time to get Gus."

"I'll have him packed and ready to go. I know how you hate dallying." Brian nodded.

"All set?" Melanie asked, wrapping her arms around herself to keep warm.

"Yes," Lindsay replied. She turned to Brian and gave him a hug. "See you later, Peter."  
"Bye, Wendy." Brian smiled at her and kneeled down to hug Gus. "Be a good boy, okay?"

"I will," Gus promised, resting his head on Brian's shoulder.

"See you Friday."

"Bye, Justin." Lindsay blew him a kiss.

"See you, Linz." Justin laughed.

Lindsay helped Gus into his car seat while Melanie said her goodbyes. "Thanks for having us," she said to Brian.

"You're welcome," he replied with a sly smile. "Come again."

"Jesus, Brian!" Mel exclaimed, laughing. She gave him a quick hug.

"I couldn't help myself," he explained.

"Bye, Mel." Justin rocked her back and forth as they hugged. "Drive careful."

"I will. Take care of yourself. And him." She nodded at Brian.

"I will." Justin laughed and moved closer to Brian, who draped a protective arm over his shoulder.

Mel got back in the car and revved the engine. "Dykes," Brian muttered, shaking his head in mock disgust. Waving, Brian and Justin watched the car shrink in size as it went down the long driveway. When the car was out of sight, they hurried back into the house.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Justin asked, shivering.

Brian shrugged. "I don't know. I thought maybe we could re-christen the house. We can't have it reeking of lesbians."

"Sounds good to me." Laughing, Brian threw his coat onto the floor and advanced on Justin. Their laughter reverberated throughout the spacious manor.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **With Christmas fast approaching, Emmett and Ted go shopping for their partners. Meanwhile, Michael is still writing his novel, but can't decide on a title. But with a little help from Ben, he finds the perfect title.


	86. What's In a Name?

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Michael started writing his novel.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Five

"What do you think about this one?" Emmett asked, holding up a shirt for inspection.

"It's nice," Ted mumbled, fiddling with his cell phone.

"Teddy, you didn't even look," Emmett whined. "I really need your help here."

"Fine." Ted put his cell phone away and looked up at the shirt. "It's nice," he repeated.

"That's what you've said about the last fifteen shirts."

"They were all nice, Em."

"This is impossible," Emmett groaned, putting the shirt back on the rack.

Ted sighed. "You know, you don't have to pick out Calvin's Christmas present already. There's still a few weeks."

"I know, but it's not just him I have to buy for. I still have to get something for Deb, something for you, something for Michael. Maybe even something for Brian and Justin."

"Wow, you're going all out this year. What's with the holiday cheer?"

"I don't know." Emmett shrugged. "I guess it's because I'm so happy this year. Last Christmas was a disaster, what with Mel and Linz breaking up and Proposition Fourteen looming. I thought things would get better, but they didn't. They got worse in fact. But now, I'm happily married. We're all happily married, can you belief that!"

Ted shook his head. "It's pretty wild, Em. Well, Brian and Justin being happily married is wild. I'd always figured I'd do it one day and we all knew you would eventually. Christ, even Deb and Carl getting hitched didn't shock me. But Brian Kinney..."

"Yeah, nobody saw that one coming," Emmett agreed. "Especially after Justin moved away. I thought for sure we'd seen the last of our own personal sunshine."

"Did you seriously just call him that?" Ted snickered.

"Yeah, why?"

"Only Deb and Brian call him Sunshine. It sounds weird coming from you."

Emmett laughed. "If it bothers you that much, I won't say it again." He started perusing the racks again. "What do you think about this one?" he asked, holding up a fuchsia crop top.

"To be honest, I can't really picture Calvin wearing that," Ted replied, frowning. "But you know him better than I do."

"It's not for him silly. It's for me." He held it up against his chest.

"Oh. I think it looks great, Em. But you're here to shop for Calvin, not yourself."

"So? I can do both at the same time." Emmett kept the crop top and moved on with Ted. "What are you going to get for Blake?"

"I have no idea," Ted admitted, throwing his hands in the air. "I was hoping you could help me."

Emmett raised a supercilious eyebrow. "I'd love to, Teddy, but there's just one problem."

"What's that?" Ted asked, brows knit in confusion.

"I don't even know Blake all that well. To the best of my knowledge, his passions include you and opera. Oh, and he used to have a torrid love affair with Crystal."

"Thanks a fucking lot, Emmett, that's really helping. Why don't we talk about your torrid love affair with Drew Boyd, huh?" Ted suddenly erupted, clenching his jaw angrily.

"Teddy..." Emmett's mouth dropped open.

"Fuck off!"

Ted shot Emmett a dirty look and stalked off, his face aflame. _Nice going_, Emmett thought, mentally kicking himself. He'd only been joking when he made the remark, but he could see why Ted was upset. He was very protective of Blake and didn't like anyone bringing up his sordid past. Especially since Ted had had his own addiction to crystal meth and it recalled bad memories.

Emmett took off in the direction Ted had headed. He couldn't just leave things like that. Ted was his best friend and meant more to him than pretty much everything in the world. Just when he was about to give up hope, he spotted Ted looking at the DVD store.. "Hey," he said softly, popping up next to Ted.

"Go away, Emmett," Ted said harshly. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

"Please, Teddy, just hear me out."

"Why should I after that asshole comment you made back there? You were way out of line, Emmett." Ted started to walk away.

"I know. I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry about what I said. I had no right."

"Damn right you didn't." He halted.

"Forgive me?" Emmett pouted his lips and looked down at Ted with sad eyes.

Sighing, Ted nodded. "Just don't bring up again," he warned.

"I won't, I promise." _That was easier than I thought it would be_, Emmett thought. _It must be because he loves me_. They continued to walk, silent. "So," Emmett said after a minute. "Did you decide what you're going to get for Blake?"

"I don't know. I was hoping I'd find a DVD or something that he'd like."

"What kind of movies does he like aside from opera?"

"I don't know. I was actually looking for the TV series DVDs. There's that one show he likes."

"Which one?"

"That one about the women."

"That really narrows it down, Teddy. Do you know how many television shows there are about women these days?"

Ted tapped his forehead, frowning pensively. "It's got Sarah Jessica Parker in it," he recalled.

"Oh! Blake likes _Sex and the City_?"

"Yeah. He watches the reruns pretty much every night."

"That is my favorite show!."

"It would be," Ted muttered.

"Does he have any of the seasons yet?" Emmett asked.

"No. He was just saying the other day that he wanted to get them because the reruns are edited for TV."

Emmett looked at the collection. "They've got all six seasons here. Eugh, they split season six into two parts. I hate when they do that. Anyway, I don't know which one you want to get him..."

"Well how much are they?" Ted picked one up and scrutinized it. "That's cheap."

"Yeah. They're not as long as most shows."

"For this price, I might as well just get him all of them," Ted decided, grabbing all seven DVDs.

"I know they're not that much, but it all adds up, sweetie. Can you afford it?"

"Yeah. I talked to Brian and he gave me the raise."

"Congratulations!" Emmett enveloped Ted in a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you, baby!"

"Thanks, Em." Ted blushed when he noticed that people were staring at them.

They went through the check-out and moved on through the mall. "I want to get him something else," Ted declared

"Are you serious?" Emmett asked, furrowing his brows. "You just spent almost two hundred dollars on him." Ted arched his eyebrows. "Okay, what did you have in mind."

"He likes to read..."

"Let's check out the bookstore," Emmett suggested, linking his arm through Ted's.

The bookstore wasn't far. "I haven't been to a bookstore in years," Ted admitted as they walked in.

"I think they're fun. I love the smell." Emmett inhaled deeply and smiled.

"Whatever. Let's just find him a book and leave, okay?"

"Okay, Grumpy. Do you know which book you want to get him?"

"No. He likes historical fiction, so I'm hoping we can find one that he doesn't already have."

"What about this one?" Emmett snatched a book off the shelf and handed it Ted.

"_The Other Boleyn Girl_? Really, Em?" Ted eyes the book warily.

"It's like a medieval soap opera, he'll love it."

"If you say so." Ted looked at the price. "Do you want to look at anything while we're in here?"

"No. I just ordered some books online, and by the time I finish shopping for everyone, I'll be broke. I suggest we get out of here now," he teased.

"Great."

They were just about to leave, when they bumped into Justin. "Hey, baby!" Emmett exclaimed, hugging him.

"Hey, guys." Justin smiled at them both. "What are you doing here?"

"Just Christmas shopping," Emmett answered.

"For Blake," Ted clarified.

"This is a surprise. What are you doing in here?" Emmett asked.

"Believe it or not, I'm shopping for Brian," Justin replied, sighing.

"Brian?" Emmett laughed.

"I think he's serious, Em," Ted whispered in his ear. Justin nodded.

Emmett cleared his throat. "Oh. Wow. I didn't know that Brian liked to read. He doesn't exactly seem like the scholarly type."

"I didn't think so either. He probably doesn't want it getting around, it might soil his reputation so if you guys could keep this between us, I'd really appreciate it."

"Sure thing," Ted replied.

"You have my word," Emmett assured him.

"Thanks."

"So where is he?"

"At work. I told him I was going out to get lunch."

"Ah. Do you need any help?" Emmett asked, beaming.

"Please." Justin laughed. "I have no idea what kind of books he likes. The only thing I know for sure that he's read is _the Phantom of the Opera_."

"One of my favorites." Ted smiled dreamily.

Justin arched an eyebrow and snickered. "Anyway, I don't know what to get him. I know he wouldn't go for any of the romance books."

"Definitely," Emmett agreed.

"And I can't see him liking sci-fi."

"He strikes me as a mystery guy," Emmett said. "It goes with his mysterious personality."

"That's as good a guess as any."

"Come on." Emmett linked his free arm through Justin's and led the way to the mystery section. "Let's see..." He scanned the selections, eyes moving rapidly. "Ah, here we go. You can't go wrong with a bit of Agatha Christie."

"Thanks, Em, you're a life saver." Justin stood on his tip toes and kissed Emmett on the cheek. "I owe you one."

Emmett waved it off. "Don't worry about it. You know how much Auntie Em loves to help his friends."

"And refer to himself in the third person," Ted mumbled.

"Very funny, Teddy. Anyway, we'd better get going. I still have to pick something up for Calvin before I my meeting at one. Talk to you later. Maybe we'll meet up and do lunch later in the week."

"Great. Bye guys." Justin waved and got in line to check out.

"I have to get back to the office," Ted said when they were outside.

"Okay, sweetie. I'm going to finish my shopping. I'll call you later?"

"If you must," Ted teased. "See you later."

"Bye."

Emmett watched Ted walk off and chewed his lip in contemplation. He needed a gift for Calvin. But what to get him? Looking around, he caught sight of the music store. Maybe he could find something in there. With a smile, Emmett spun on his heel and set off.

* * *

Michael stared off into space, idly chewing on his fingernail. The book was coming along greater than he had ever expected. After he and Ben had talked about letting the book rule his life, he only worked on it for two hours a day. At most. Cutting down on how long he worked hadn't affected anything; he was already a third of the way done. Ben dutifully brought him coffee and food so that he didn't have to stop writing when he was on a roll.

Ben brought in a cup of tea and set it down the desk. "Is everything okay?" he asked, frowning. Michael didn't even hear him. His mind was galaxies away. "Michael," Ben said, gently shaking Michael's shoulder.

"Huh?" Michael shook his head to clear his thoughts away. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said," he apologized.

"Yeah, I can tell." Ben laughed. "Is everything okay?" he repeated.

"Yeah, everything's fine."

"Then why are you sitting here staring at the wall?"

Michael sighed. "I know I'm being a bit premature, but I can't help it."

"What do you mean?" Ben asked.

"Well, I'm already a third of the way done with the book. But I still haven't come up with a title yet, and that's kind of important."

"I see." Ben nodded in understanding.

"Can you help me?" Michael asked.

"Me?" Ben laughed. "I doubt I'd be much help. I'm not an expert."

"I know, but you've written two books, surely you can give me some words of wisdom."

Ben sighed and pulled up a chair. He sat down and took a sip of Michael's tea. "When I wrote my books, I had to think long and hard about the titles. You want something that's relevant to the book but will still catch the readers' attention."

"Exactly! I can't come up with anything. I can't exactly call it '_My Gay Life_ by Michael Novotny.' That's not exactly eye catching and nobody even knows who I am, so I can't rely on my name to attract readers. This is so frustrating!"

Michael closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. There was no sense getting upset about it. Even if he couldn't think of a title, he still had a story to write. If worse came to worse, surely the publisher could come up with something. Ben rubbed his shoulders reassuringly. "You'll think of something," he said softly. "Just give it time. And people do know who you are. Remember what the publisher said?"

"I guess. But I still think you'd be better at it than me. You're a college professor, you know a lot more than I do about stuff like this."

"I'll help you," Ben promised.

"Really? Thank you!" Michael flung his arms around Ben's broad shoulders and squeezed him tightly.

"You're welcome," Ben replied, smiling. "Now, let's put our heads together and think about this. Your novel's about gay life, so we're going to want to somehow incorporate that into the title."

Michael nodded. "I don't want to use anything offensive like fag' though," he said. "The last thing I want to do is alienate my target audience."

"Okay. That leaves queer, gay, and homosexual." Ben rubbed his chin thoughtfully. A thought came to him. "Wait a second," he muttered.

"What?" Michael asked, licking his lips nervously.

"In my class we were studying expressions from all over the world that pertain to homosexuality."

"And?" Michael pressed.

"There was one from northern England..." He bit his knuckle, trying with all of his might to recall the expression.

"Did it have queer, gay, or homosexual in it?" Michael asked, hoping to jog Ben's memory.

"Queer," Ben answered.

"Hmmm..." It wasn't ringing a bell for Michael.

Ben stood up. "Can you scoot?" he asked, nodding toward the computer.

"Sure." Michael moved out of the way and stood behind Ben, wringing his hands.

"Okay, let's see..." Ben searched the internet, eyes roaming over the screen. "Here it is!" he exclaimed, pointing.

"There's nowt so queer as folk," Michael read aloud, testing the words out.

"What do you think?" Ben glanced over at Michael, watching for some kind of reaction.

"What does it mean exactly?" Michael asked, frowning.

"Basically, it means 'there's nothing as strange as people.' Get it?"

Michael nodded. "I guess." The phrase stuck with him, his mind already formulating a plan.

"And since it has queer in the title, you can still draw in the gay readers," Ben explained. "You could call it _Queer As Folk_. How do you feel about that?"

"I love it." Michael grinned. "_Queer As Folk_...It's got a nice ring to it."

"Yes, it does."

"Thanks, honey." Michael leaned down and kissed the top of Ben's head. "I never could have done this without you."

"You would have managed." Ben waved it off.

"No I wouldn't have. You are a genius. And just for that, I'm dedicating the book to you."

Ben chuckled. "I thought you were dedicating it to Brian?"

"I am," Michael replied. "I'll dedicate it both of you. Lots of books have numerous dedications." To prove his point, Michael opened a new document and typed:

_To gay men and women everywhere. _

_And especially my favorite two: Ben Bruckner, my beloved husband. _

_And Brian Kinney, my best friend. _

"Nice." Ben grinned. "Now all you have to do is come up with a cover design," he teased.

"Oh, my God, you're right!" Michael started to pace. "What am I going to do?" he demanded.

"Why don't you ask Justin to did it? I'm sure he could come up with something you'd like," Ben suggested.

"Good idea." Michael quickly dialed Justin's number. "Hey, Justin, it's Michael."

"Hey. What's up?" Justin asked.

"How would you like to design the cover of my book?" A smile lit up Michael's face.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Justin struggles to come up with the perfect cover for Michael's book.


	87. A Handy Situation

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Working furiously on his novel, Michael finally found a title - Queer As Folk - and enlisted Justin to help him design a cover.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Six

Brian closed the window on the computer screen. He was finally done. He'd been home from work for a few hours but had had to finish an ad. As soon as he had walked in the door, he'd immediately gone into his office, telling Justin to go ahead and eat without him. Looking down at the time on the computer screen, he noted that it hadn't taken as long as he'd thought it would. _Maybe I can still catch dinner,_ he thought as his stomach rumbled. Rolling his eyes, he stepped out into the foyer.

Usually when Justin cooked, the smell permeated throughout the first floor, drawing him in. Tonight, he couldn't smell anything. _Maybe Justin hasn't started yet_. It was only going on seven. The light in the studio was on, so he assumed that Justin was working in there. He had been spending a lot of time in the studio again since Michael had commissioned him to design his book cover. Quietly, Brian walked in, watching from the doorway. Justin had his back the door and was hunched over his drawing pad, his hand moving furiously on the page.

For a minute or so, Brian stood in silence, watching Justin work. He didn't often get an opportunity to just watch the act, and was grateful for the opportunity. Holding the pad up, Justin blew on it and used his finger to enhance the shading. Unable to contain himself anymore, Brian sat down next to him, smiling. "What are you working on, your new masterpiece?" he asked. There was always a possibility that he had taken a break from his commission and was working on a new piece.

"I wish," Justin replied.

"New issue of _Rage_?"

"No. I'm working on the cover for Michael's book." Justin briefly looked up and caught Brian's eye.

Justin had met with Michael the week before and they had briefly discussed what Michael envisioned his cover looking like. He had really liked the idea of a painting or drawing instead of a photograph, and had asked Justin to sketch some ideas for him. Justin had eagerly accepted his task and immediately set to work. He was more than happy to help his friend out. In the short week since the meeting, he'd been working on the project, he had completed four different sketches and was currently on his way to finishing a fifth. If time permitted, he would finish a few more before he and Michael reconvened.

Brian looked down at the drawing. It was of himself, Michael, and Justin. "That's really good," he said, nodding. "Very good. It looks just like us."

"Thanks." Justin smiled. "Hopefully Michael likes all of them. He wasn't overly specific with what he wanted."

"He'll love them," Brian assured him.

"If not, I can always use them in my exhibit," Justin joked. "It'll be nice to have some newer drawings included. If for no other reason that to prove that I can still do it."

He started to shade again. Suddenly, his hand started to so shake of its own accord. With a jolt of pain, his hand cramped up, causing him to cry out. "Are you all right?" Brian asked, immediately on the situation.

"Yeah. It's just my hand," Justin gasped, clutching it in his good hand. It was a side effect of the bashing at the hand of Chris Hobbs. He was actually surprised that his hand still shook since it had slowly gotten better over the years. It hadn't once bothered him while he'd painted Gaiety. But now it was cramping…

"Here." Brian pulled him to his feet and led him over the couch. "Sit down," he ordered.

"I'm fine, really," Justin said, hesitating.

"Sit down," Brian insisted.

Grimacing at the pain, Justin sat down. Brian sat next to him and reached out, taking the bad hand in his own. Slowly, gently, he began to massage it. "How does that feel?" he asked.

"A little better." Justin closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

"You probably overdid it."

"I must have. I guess I'm not used to drawing so much anymore."

"How did you manage to do your painting and not cramp up?" Brian inquired.

"I have no idea. I thought for sure I was going to have to take it slow, but it was fine. I guess it's because I wasn't painting as fast as I draw." He shrugged. "I'd almost forgotten that I have an impairment."

Brian was quiet for a few minutes, tenderly rubbing Justin's bad hand. He looked up and saw that Justin was smiling peacefully. "Is that better?" he asked quietly.

"Much. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Brian kissed Justin's hand softly. "Christmas is only two weeks away," he said casually.

"Mmm hmm."

"What do you want for Christmas?" Brian looked up at Justin, gazing into his eyes.

"You don't have to get me anything," Justin protested weakly. "I already have everything I could possibly want."

"I know I don't have to get you anything, but I want to. So, what will it be? A trip to Ibiza? A new wardrobe? A double-headed dildo?"

Justin laughed. "No, nothing that extravagant. If you insist on getting me something, keep it light. And cheap. The last thing I want to do is feel bad because you spent another fortune on me."

"When are you going to just accept the fact that I like to spend money on you?" Brian asked, grinning slyly. "You more than pay it off."

"You make me sound like a mistress or something," Justin teased. "The truth is, it makes me uncomfortable. We both know that you wouldn't let me spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on you."

"I let you pay for the camping trip, didn't I?" Brian reminded him.

"Yeah, grudgingly. And besides, that was only in the meadow."

"I don't want you to spend all of your hard earned money."

"And I don't want you to spend all of your hard earned money. You don't own Babylon anymore, so it isn't like you have extra cash coming in."

Brian shrugged. "That's probably for the best."

"Why?" Justin asked, frowning.

"According the Theodore, Babylon's not doing so well anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if he closed it."

"What? He can't close Babylon!" Justin exclaimed. "Why doesn't he try to get Madonna to come back and perform again?"

"I don't know," Brian admitted. "It probably wouldn't even be worth his while. By the time he paid her or any other singer to come in, all of the profits would go right back out the door."

Justin shook his head. "He can't close Babylon," he repeated. "That's our place."

"Do you want to buy it from him and try to revamp it?" Brian scoffed.

"No, but maybe I could help him come up with some ideas to keep it afloat," Justin mused.

"You do that, Sunshine. Anyway, back to the topic of the hour, what do you want for Christmas?"

"I'm not going to tell you," Justin answered with a mischievous grin. "You can't get me anything if you don't know what I want."

"Nice try. But don't think I can't get it out of you," Brian said, moving his hand up Justin's leg.

"My lips are sealed."

"You say that now, but get back to me in about an hour and we'll see what you have to say then."

Justin laughed as Brian's hand tickled him. "I can't," he managed, gasping for air.

"Can't what?" Brian asked.

"I can't have sex with you right now."

"Why not?"

"I have to finish this drawing," Justin explained, picking up his pencil once more.

"No way," Brian said, snatching the pencil away. "You're done for awhile."

"I have to finish!" Justin insisted, trying in vain to get the utensil back.

"If you want to do something useful with your hand, I can think of a few things."

"As much as I'd love to, this has to take precedence."

Brian held the pencil up high above Justin's head. "You need to take a break," he iterated slowly. "Your hand is cramping up, it needs a rest. Give it an hour or so and come back."

"You just want me to take a break so we can go have sex," Justin teased.

"Kind of," Brian confessed with a cocky grin. "But you also need to eat. If I'm starving, then you must be, too. Let's go have something to eat and maybe have a quick fuck and then you can sit down here and draw to your heart's content. Okay?"

"Okay," Justin yielded, dropping his hands in defeat. There was no arguing with Brian. He'd learned that years before.

"Good boy." Brian kissed Justin's cheek and tossed the pencil down onto the coffee table. "Now come on, there's got to be something in the kitchen we can eat that doesn't have carbs or fat in it."

"I think there might be some poppers in the back of the fridge."

"Now that's hardly a nutritious dinner for a growing boy," Brian said with mock indignity.

Once in the kitchen, they looked around for something to eat. "What are you in the mood for?" Justin asked, digging through the pantry.

"I really don't care. As long as I'm not going to wake up fat, I'm pretty much up for anything."

"Well, that really narrows is down," Justin replied sarcastically. "You're borderline obese as it is."

"Don't be a smart ass." Brian threw a bag of bread at Justin, hitting him square in the chest. "See, this is what I miss about the loft: if we didn't have anything to eat, we could always order some Thai."

"I'm sure there are Thai restaurants here." Justin laughed. "We just have to look."

"Fine, you can go through the phone book and find one."

"Yes, dear."

A few minutes later, Justin set the phone book down in front of Brian, smiling triumphantly. "I take it you found one?" Brian asked.

"And it's nearby," Justin confirmed. "That way the food will be here ASAP."

"Wow, I'm impressed."

"You should be. I needed a college education to find it in the phone book."

"Do you want to order or shall I?"

"I'll do it." Justin dialed the number and smiled sweetly. "You just sit there and drink your beer."

"What a wonderful wife you are."

Before long, they were lounging in the bedroom, eating their dinner. "It's better than I thought it would be," Justin said.

"Yeah. I thought for sure it was going to be shit."

"You're so optimistic."

"I leave that up to you." Brian stared at Justin for a second. "I've decided what I'm going to get you for Christmas."

"What?" Justin asked, resting his head on his hand.

"I can't tell you, it would ruin the surprise."

"Please?" Justin pouted, tugging at Brian's heartstrings.

"I'll give you a hint," Brian relented.

"Okay. What is it?"

"It's something you want that you don't think I'll let you have."

Justin groaned. "Now I'm going to spend the next two weeks obsessing over this! Nice going Brian."

"As long as you're not obsessing over those damn book covers. I don't want you fucking up your hand any more than it already is."

"I'll be careful," Justin promised. "If I'm not, I could lose the use of my hand and then what? My art career would end before it even began."

"That's why you need to take it easy."

"You're always looking out for me," Justin said, grinning broadly.

"Well someone has to. If I left it up to you, who knows what would happen?" Brian teased.

"Who gets to look after you?"

"I don't need anybody to look after me," Brian replied. "I'm perfectly capable."

"Well then, it's a good thing you still need me around for some things. Otherwise, I'd find myself at the curb." Justin laughed.

"And what do you do that I couldn't do myself?" Brian asked, playing along.

"Let me think..." Justin straddled Brian, working at his belt buckle.

"Oh yeah, there is that," Brian admitted, closing his eyes. "Don't you have to go work on your sketches?" he asked snidely.

Justin grinned up at him. "They can wait. I more pressing manners to attend to."

* * *

Over the course of the next few days, Justin continued to work hard. Whenever he felt his hand starting to shake, he would stop what he was doing and find Brian. They would fuck or cuddle and when his hand was rested, he would go back to work. He had agreed to meet Michael at the end of the week to go over the sketches, and if he found one he liked, it would go the publishers.

Justin looked at the clock in Brian's office at Kinnetik and went over to his bag, pulling out the folder he kept the sketches in. "I'm going to meet Michael at the diner," he told Brian, pulling his jacket on.

"Wait up. I'll join you," Brian replied. "Just let me finish this sentence."

"Are you writing your memoirs, too?" Justin teased, sitting on the edge of Brian's desk.

"No. I'm sending a pissed off email to someone."

"Somebody important?" Justin asked.

"Not the person themself."

"What does that mean?"

"I was supposed to get a package from them a few days ago and it still isn't here," Brian explained.

Justin smiled. "What kind of package?" He leaned over to look at the computer screen, but Brian immediately threw his hands up, blocking it from Justin's view.

"Nothing for you to worry your blond head about," Brian assured him with a sly smile.

"It's my Christmas present, isn't it?" Justin pressed, eager as a five year old.

"If you have to know, yes. But it's only one of your Christmas presents."

"I get more than one?"

"Of course you get more than one. What do you think I am, a cheapskate?"

"That's good, because I'm getting you more than one, too."

"Now that's a waste of your money. Why not just keep it and use it for yourself?"

Justin scoffed. "So, you can buy me Christmas presents but I can't them for you?"

"Exactly." Brian put his arm around Justin and steered him out of the office and into the main hall.

"Bye, guys," Cynthia called.

"Well, tough. I already bought one for you and that's that."

"Wow, I love it when you're so forceful." Brian nibbled the side of Justin's neck, making his giggle.

"Good, cause I'm not backing down."

"Have it your way," Brian relented. "Now, can we get out of here? I'm starving."

"Lead the way."

When they got to the diner, Michael was waiting for them, practically bouncing with nervous energy. "Hey, guys," he said as soon as they walked through the door.

"Hey, Mikey."

"Hi, Michael." Justin sat next to Brian. "I brought these for you to look at." He set the folder down on the table. Michael picked it up and opened it.

"Wow," he gasped, flipping through all of the sketches. "These are all perfect."

"Thanks." Justin blushed a little. "I worked really hard on them." Brian opened his mouth to speak, but Justin elbowed him in the stomach. Michael didn't need to know that he had worked so hard that he had hurt his hand.

Debbie came by to take their orders. "Working on the book, honey?" she asked.

"Yeah, Justin's designing the cover," Michael replied, still staring at the drawings.

"Good for you, Sunshine," Deb beamed.

"Can we order?" Brian asked, feigning impatience.

"Don't bother. I'm bringing you what I want you to have. You look like you need a little protein."

"Thanks, Mother," Brian muttered, shaking his head.

"I'll be right back," Debbie promised, pen flying across her pad.

Justin leaned in conspiratorially. "I wonder how she's going to feel when she reads the book," he said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Michael asked, frowning.

"Well, most people don't realize certain things about themselves until someone else tells them."

"She already knows that she's overbearing," Michael assured him.

"Does she know exactly how overbearing she is?" Brian asked.

"Well if she doesn't, she will." He went back to looking at Justin's sketches. "I think I like this one," he said, holding up the one of the three of them.

"That one's my favorite," Justin agreed. "By the way, what are you calling it?"

Michael smiled. "I was having such a hard time coming up with a title. I spent hours just scrambling for anything. Just when I was about to give up, Ben found this great one online. You guys are going to love it!"

"Well what is it?" Brian pressed.

"_Queer As Folk_," Michael answered excitedly. "Isn't it amazing!"

"I wouldn't say that," Brian muttered.

"I think it's great," Justin assured him, shooting Brian a dirty look. "It's enticing yet foreboding. Very ominous."

"You think?" Michael's face flushed with excitement. "That's exactly what I was going for!"

"And it will definitely draw in the gay readers."

Debbie came back with their orders. "Here you go, boys. Enjoy," she said, grinning at all of them in turn.

"Thanks, Ma." Michael immediately went for his grilled cheese.

"You're welcome, baby. Say, when am I going to get to read this book of yours?"

"Uhhh..." Michael looked desperately between Brian and Justin. Brian grinning evilly.

"He's only letting Ben and I read it for now, Deb," Justin jumped in, saving Michael's neck.

"I see how it is. I guess I'll just have to wait until it comes out."

"Nice save," Brian noted when Debbie was out of earshot.

"Yeah, thanks. You're a life saver," Michael said. Justin smiled over at Brian and rested his head against his chest. Without even thinking, Brian reached down and stroked his hair.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Carl goes to visit his children for the holidays, so Deb invites Emmett over for a Girl's Night.


	88. Girl's Night

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **After Carl's stroke, Debbie assumed the role of man of the house, working double shifts at the diner to support her husband.

While in Hazelhurst, Emmett visited his estranged father and after making amends, Thomas suggested that Emmett fulfill his childhood dream of designing clothes.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Seven

Debbie shut the front door quietly behind her. She'd just worked an extra shift because Kiki, the waitress, formerly Kenny, the waiter, had had an important Tranny Support Group meeting. With Justin now off to greener pastures and Hunter buried in schoolwork, Deb was the only left to carry the weight of the Liberty Diner on her shoulders. It didn't help that she had a sick husband with extremely expensive medical bills and a new addition to the family.

Sure, Brian had loaned her some money, but that had only covered a fraction of the cost and she was not going to ask him for more. She'd have to work as many double shifts as she was able to. At least then, she could proudly say that she had done it on her own, with no help from anybody. She was a strong, independent woman and could more than take care of herself. She'd done it practically her whole life.

Switching on the light, she smiled when she saw Carl in kitchen. "Hey, honey," she said, her joy radiating in her voice.

"Hey." Carl set down the tub of ice cream and crossed the room, hugging her tightly. "How was work?"

"A nightmare. Kiki had to go to a Tranny Support Group meeting, I was running the whole goddamn diner by myself. I couldn't get anyone to come in and help me. I'm so tired I could fall asleep on my feet. And the great news is, I have to get up and do it again tomorrow."

"Come here." Carl hugged her again, rubbing her back consolingly. "You're a hell of a woman, Debbie."

"Tell me something I don't know. Where's Lance?"

"In bed."

"Good."

Carl laughed. "Want some ice cream?" he asked, picking up the carton again.

"Yes, please. I haven't eaten in a couple of hours and all that running around has me starving."

"One bowl of ice cream, coming right up," Carl joked, putting on Debbie's black apron that said I Keep the Best Snacks Under My Apron.

"Oh, Carl!" Debbie laughed, dropping down onto the couch. "You're so good to me."

"It's the least I can do," Carl replied, scooping the ice cream into a bowl and adding cherries, chocolate syrup, and sprinkles. "Considering that you're running yourself ragged to pay my medical bills."

"We're married now," Debbie reminded him. "They're our medical bills."

"You know what I mean." Carl handed her the bowl of ice cream.

"Thanks."

Carl sat down beside her on the sofa. "I got a call from Junior today," he said, settling back into the cushions.

"You did? How's he doing?" Junior was Carl's only son. He also had a daughter named Vicky, who lived in Utah with her boyfriend. Junior, a proud member of the Air Force, lived near Detroit, Michigan. Debbie had never met either of Carl's children, but she had heard so much about that she felt as though she did.

"He's doing well. They've got him working out at Selfridge Air Force Base right now."

Deb wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but she figured that as long as he wasn't deployed in Iraq, risking his life so that the U.S. could control the oil wells, it was a good thing. "Well, that's good."

"Yes, it is." Carl smiled. "I'm thinking about flying out to Michigan to go see him this weekend. It's been over five years since we saw each other and with everything that's happened…" He trailed off.

"I understand." Deb squeezed his hand. "But are you sure you're up for the trip? I mean, that isn't exactly a forty-five minute flight."

"I'll be fine. I'm not as bad off as you think I am."

"I know." Debbie smiled.

"Why don't you come with me? I'd love for my kids to get to know you. And my grandkids. Vicky and her kids are flying out, too. It'll be fun."

Debbie smiled. "As much as I'd love to, Carl, I don't think that that would be such as good idea."

"Why not?" Carl frowned.

"Your kids haven't seen you in five years. They're going to want to see you, not you and your new wife, who happens to not be their mother."

"Come on, Deb, they don't think like that…"

"I know, but I do."

"So, I can't persuade you to come along?"

"Not this time. You go and have fun. Spend lots of time with your kids and grandkids."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll come next time."

"Okay." Carl kissed her hands.

Deb finished her bowl of ice cream and set it down on the coffee table. "Did you already book yourself a flight?"

"No, but I've been looking on the Internet. There's an afternoon flight out tomorrow. If I hurry, I can still catch it."

"Tomorrow?"

"It's Thursday, Deb," Carl reminded her.

"I should know that." Her brain was so worn out that she hadn't even known what day of the week it was.

"You're just stressed and overworked."

"What else is new?"

Carl grinned. "Why don't I give you a nice, foot massage?"

"I would love you forever if you did." Debbie laughed. "My feet are so sore right now. I think I'm starting to get fucking bunions. My insurance won't pay to have them removed."

"Let me go get the oil. I'll be right back."

"Okay." Debbie watched Carl leave and then closed her eyes, massaging her temples. As strong and independent as she was, she loved coming home to a man who loved her. Without Carl and Lance, she'd be lonely, now that Emmett had moved out. Maybe she'd invite him over for a girl's night Saturday, since she miraculously had the night off. Lance would probably be out at Babylon. And it had been awhile since she and Emmett had had a girl's night. They'd had them all the time when Emmett had lived there. Debbie missed them.

The sight of Carl coming down the stairs in his boxers with a bottle of lotion made Deb giggle. "What took you so long?" she asked.

"I couldn't find the lotion," Carl confessed, sitting down beside her again. As soon as he was planted, she moved her legs up onto his lap. Carl squirted a generous amount of lotion onto his hands, rubbing them together to warm the lotion. When he was sure that the ointment was warm enough, he started rubbing her feet.

The combination of lotion and massage caused Deb to tilt her head back and moan pleasurably. If Lance was still awake, he could definitely hear her and would think that she and Carl were having sex, but she didn't care at that moment. Her feet were sore and the massage felt good. That's all she cared about.

Carl gently massaged her feet, working over every square inch. Debbie continued to moan quietly, her eyes closed blissfully. He wished that there were something that he could do to help her out. It wasn't fair that she was killing herself at the diner to pay his medical bills. It had been six months since he had had his stroke and he felt like his old self again. Except for the minute limp, no one would ever have guessed that he'd even had a stroke. _Maybe when I get home from my trip I'll go see my doctor and talk to him about going back to work. I've still got a few good years left in me._

Debbie stopped moaning and Carl looked at her quizzically. He could hear her snoring lightly. _I'm sorry, _he thought, stroking her cheek tenderly. She was doing all of this for him. _You don't deserve a schmuck like me. _He gently eased Deb down onto the couch, resting her head on the pillow.. Grabbing the blanket from the back of the sofa, he draped it over her. He didn't want to wake her. She was exhausted and the couch was just as comfortable as their bed.

Silently, Carl switched the light off and tiptoed up the stairs. One way or another something had to be done. Debbie couldn't keep doing double shifts at the diner. If the police force wouldn't give him his old job back, he'd bag groceries or park cars; whatever it took to bring in some money. _Now, I just have to get Debbie to agree to let me do it, _he thought wryly. And _that _was going to be a Herculean task.

* * *

When Saturday rolled around, Debbie was more than in need of some TLC. She'd worked every day that week, all double shifts. If she didn't get some rest, she was going to pass out again like she'd done a few years back. And she couldn't afford to take a few days off to recoup. She had to work whether she liked it or not.

She'd called Emmett the day before to ask him about their night together. He'd immediately accepted her offer and had promised to bring to essentials: _Sex and the City_, _Thelma & Louise_, every Bette Davis and Joan Crawford every made…the essentials. Debbie could hardly wait. She'd told him to come in his pajamas and plan on staying the night.

With the whole day off, she slept in until noon. There were very few times in her life when she'd been allowed the luxury of sleeping in that late, but while the opportunity was there, she had to take it. She wasn't getting any younger and couldn't do a double shift on little sleep. What she wouldn't give to be Lance's age and be able to pull an all-nighter and still be to get up and function properly.

After taking a luxuriating bubble bath, Deb threw on some clothes and went out to the store. If she was going to have a movie night with Emmett, she needed to pick up some essentials of her own: a bag of oreo's, a carton of milk, a box of popcorn, a bottle of wine, and a carton of ice cream. Both Debbie and Emmett would be in heaven.

When she got back home, Debbie put the groceries away and got into her favorite leopard print pajamas and fuzzy slippers and settled down on the couch. She had just turned the TV on when Emmett walked in. He'd lived there for over a year and felt comfortable enough to walk in without knocking. Deb didn't mind.

She jumped to her feet, squealing with excitement. "Emmett!" she cried, throwing her arms around him in a bear hug. "I've missed you!"  
"You, too, Deb," Emmett gasped, his face turning purple as his oxygen was cut off.

"Oh, sorry." Deb released her chokehold and smiled up at him. "I've been looking forward to our girl's night for too long. We haven't had one since before Sunshine came back."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to institute a monthly girl's night, then, won't we?" Emmett asked, laughing.

"You're damn right, we do."

Emmett hung up his coat and struck a pose, showing off his pink feathery pajamas. "So, what do you think?" he asked.

"Oh, Em, they're beautiful," Debbie replied, laughing. "Just like you."

"Stop!" Emmett giggled like a schoolgirl. "I love your pajamas."

"Thanks. They're my favorite."

"I can see why. They're so sexy. I bet Carl can't keep his hands off of you when you wear them."

"Why do you think I don't wear them anymore?" Deb joked, cackling.  
"You are so bad!"

Settling into the couch, Deb asked, "So, what's first on our agenda?"

"Well, I was thinking…_What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?_"

"Yes!" Deb screamed with excitement. It was one of her all-time favorite movies. "You know me so well, Emmett."

"Well, you always said if I wasn't gay I'd be your husband."

"I used to say that about Vic, too. But, hell, we were practically an old married couple anyway." She laughed at the memory.

"_Ici_," Emmett said, handing her the remote. "I take it Carl's not one much for sittin' around watching chick flicks?"

"Carl?" She spluttered. "Oh, God, no." She waved it off. "The only movies he likes to watch are action flicks with young chicks in bikinis."

"I know the type" Emmett nodded understandingly.

"What about you and Calvin?" she queried, sipping her wine.

"He and I don't have the same taste in movies. I forced him to watch _Evita _with me the other night and I could tell that he was bored out of his mind."

Debbie shrugged. "Not everyone is into musicals. But one thing I know without a doubt that he into is you."

"He proved that after the movie was over," Emmett confessed. "Six times."

"Six times! Jesus Christ!"

"Hey," Emmett nudged Deb with his knee. "What about you and Carl?"

"Can we just watch the movie?" Debbie asked, suddenly uncomfortable. As much as she came across as a freethinking, no holds barred woman, there were still some things that Deb didn't feel comfortable discussing with anyone. She couldn't help but remember back to when Emmett and Ted had given her a tutorial on giving head. She'd been too embarrassed to do anything but watch for the longest time.

They were silent for a few minutes, before Debbie sighed loudly. "Carl and I do our fair share of soaking the sheets," she mumbled, not meeting Emmett's gaze.

"It's okay," Emmett soothed, putting an arm around her. "Your secret is safe with me. I promise not to run and tell everyone that you're getting laid."

"You'd better not. I'll punch you out."

Leaning into Emmett, Debbie watched the movie, losing herself in the drama. When it finished, she got up and opened another bottle of wine. "You want some?" she asked, filling her glass.  
"Oh, yes, please." Emmett clapped excitedly.

"Here you go." Debbie set the glass down in front of Emmett and put in a new DVD.

"Thanks." Emmett sipped his wine. "What did you put in?"

"_Sex and the City_."

"My absolute favorite TV show!" Emmett enthused.

"You're such a queen," Deb teased, punching his arm lightly.

"So?" Emmett stuck his tongue out. "I may be a queen, but at least I'm a fashionable queen."

"And you're a good person."  
"Aw, thanks, Deb." Emmett smiled and continued to watch the show. "I really like that dress," he commented, his mind ticking.

"What, are you going to be a drag queen now?" Debbie giggled.

"No." He cleared his throat. "Can I tell you something and trust you not to tell anyone else?"

"Now you want to keep secrets?" Deb shook her head. "What the hell's gotten into you, Emmett?"

"I mean it."

At Emmett's serious tone, Deb paused the DVD. "What is it?" she asked, imaging the worst. _Please don't let him be positive._

"Do you remember last summer whenI went back to Hazelhurst and visited with my dad?" Debbie nodded. "Well, while we were talking, he told me that I don't seem happy in my career and suggested that I try something else." Emmett eyed Debbie, waiting for a reaction.

"Okay…"

"Ever since then I've been thinking and I really have gotten bored with planning parties. I mean, I'm always planning events for other people, but when do I ever get to plan one for myself?"

"So, get a new job. Did you father have any suggestions?"

Emmett chewed his lip for a moment, unsure of whether or not he wanted to tell Deb. He really wanted to try out the fashion thing, but wasn't sure that he could actually do it. He hadn't even told Calvin about it yet. "He suggested that I design clothes, since I did it for my sisters' Barbie's when I was younger."

"A fashion designer! Emmett, you'd be perfect! You love clothes, you love making people look and feel good."

"Really?" Emmett's heart swelled. "You really think I should do it?"

"What does your heart tell you to do?"

"My heart tells me to do it, but my head tells me that this is no time to be starting a business. The economy is shit and if I failed…I could lose everything. Besides, I can't afford to do it right now anyway. The apartment is pretty pricey. Who knows? It's probably just some ridiculous childhood dream."

Debbie reached over and squeezed Emmett's hand. "Listen to your heart," she advised, smiling warmly. "If designing clothes is what makes you happy, go for it. Life is too short to give up on things we want. You don't want to look back someday and wish that you'd done things differently, do you?"

"No."

"No regrets." She'd heard Brian say enough times and felt that for once, he was right.

"Thanks, Deb." Emmett leaned in and hugged her. "I couldn't tell anyone else. I was too afraid they'd laugh at me and call me a silly faggot."

"You may be a lot of things, honey," Debbie said seriously. "But you are not a silly faggot."

Emmett smiled. "Well, I feel like one right now. I'm turning our girl's night into a scene from a soap opera."

"Oh, you are not!" Debbie grabbed the bottle of wine and topped of their glasses. "Cheers," she said, raising her glass.

"What are we toasting to?" Emmett asked.

"To your future as Pittsburgh's very own Coco Chanel."

"Come on, Versace, at least."

"Okay, Versace."

"I'll drink to that!"

Clinking their glasses together, they downed the wine and collapsed back against the couch laughing.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Back home, Carl gets good news from his doctor, but now has to convince Debbie to let him go back to work.


	89. Deb's Way Or the Highway

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **With Christmas looming, Carl traveled to see his children.

Debbie stayed home and enjoyed a girl's night with Emmett.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Eight

By the time Carl finally returned home, Debbie missed him a lot more than she'd thought she would. Sure, hanging out with Emmett had been fun, but no one could replace her husband. When he walked through the door she ran to him and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. "I missed you so much!" she exclaimed, kissing him passionately.

"I missed you, too." Carl laughed. "Maybe I should go away more often."

"Don't you even fucking think about it!" She laughed. "How was your trip?"

Carl set his bags down and sat down in the recliner. "It was great. Seeing my kids and grandkids…it was amazing, I just wish that they didn't live so far away." Debbie could see a sparkle of excitement burning within his eyes.

"We'll go out and see them soon," she promised, smiling down at him. "It's about time they met your loudmouthed wife."

"You mean my wonderful wife." Carl grabbed Deb's arm and pulled her down onto his lap. "I thought about you every second," he confessed.

"You did?"

"Every time something happened I wanted to tell you. I wish you would have come."

"You needed some time alone with your kids. And I needed some alone time with Emmett."

"Did you two hang out while I was gone?"

"Yes," Deb confessed, grinning. "He came over and we had a girl's night."

"A girl's night?" Carl laughed. "And what exactly did that entail?"

"Oh, you know. Cocktails, _Sex and the City_, boy talk."

"Boy talk? You weren't bragging about how well-endowed I am again, were you?"

"How could I not?" Debbie teased.

"Just like I couldn't stop bragging about how perfect you are."

"You did not!"

"I did. My kids are dying to meet you."

"They are?"

"They told me to tell you that anyone who makes me as happy as you do is a friend of theirs."

"Well, I guess that makes things a little less awkward."

Carl frowned. "Why would things be awkward?"

"I don't know." Debbie shrugged. "Because I'm not their mother."

"That doesn't matter to them." Carl squeezed her hand. "They loved their mother. But, she's been dead a long time now. They understand that I can't spend the rest of my life mourning her."

"So, they're okay with it?"

"They're okay with it."

"Then I'd be delighted to meet them. Soon, hopefully."

"Great. I'll let them know."

Debbie got up and went into the kitchen. "I'm making Swedish meatballs for dinner. Do you want a salad or something to go with it?"

"A salad would be nice."

"Coming right up." Deb bent down and pulled the cutting board out from the bottom cupboard.

"Can I help with anything?" Carl asked, heaving himself to his feet. He was tired after his flight, but he didn't think it was fair for Debbie to do all the cooking.

Debbie shook her head. "No, I've got it all covered. Why don't you go unpack? Rest for a while. You look exhausted."

"I could use a little rest," Carl admitted, yawning. "I don't know how people can fly on a day to day basis. I'm drained after just one day."

"Well, you're not well," Deb reminded him. "It's no wonder you're exhausted. Go and lie down for a while. I'll call you when dinner's ready."

"Okay." Smiling gratefully, Carl went upstairs to rest.

Debbie took her time finishing the food. She wanted Carl to rest up, afraid that if he got too tired in his condition that he might get sick again. She knew that deep down she was worrying too much, but if anything happened to Carl…The thought was unimaginable to her after all that she'd lost. Carl was the one person that she counted on to always be there for her, and if he wasn't, she didn't know what she'd do.

Just as she was about to go upstairs to get Carl, he came down, looking a little better. "I was just coming up to get you," Debbie said, smiling.

"That's okay. I slept awhile and I feel a lot better now."

"Good." She set the salad down in the center of the table before sitting down. "So, what do you have planned tomorrow?"

"I've got a doctor's appointment in the morning and then I'm free. Why?"

"Well, I've got the morning shift at the diner and then I'm free, too. So, I was thinking that maybe while Lance is at school we could…" She grinned wickedly.

"Have loud, crazy sex?" Carl supplied, laughing.

"If you feel up to it, that is."

"I'm well enough for that." He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. "Do you know why I love you so much, Debbie?"

Deb shook her head. "No. Why?"

"Because you are the most incredible woman I've ever met. You're so compassionate and self-sacrificing. You never think of yourself. I really appreciate all that you do for me." He'd done a lot of thinking over the weekend and had decided that if his doctor gave him a clean bill of health, he'd go back to work. He had to be able to pay his own medical bills. It wasn't fair that Debbie was killing herself for him. She deserved time to relax and enjoy life.

"It's my job," Deb replied simply. "I'm the mother hen and I love taking care of my chicklets."

"But it's not your job to take of me. I'm supposed to take care of you," Carl argued gently.

"I don't need anyone to take care of me. One of the things I love most about you is that you let me be me and you accept me for who I am. You don't try to make me into some 1950's housewife. You know that I'm an independent woman and you embrace it. Plus, you love my big mouth."

"It's so sexy, how could I not?" Carl teased.

"If you're lucky, you'll get to enjoy my big mouth tomorrow night."

The front door opened and Lance came in. He kicked his shoes off and shut the door behind him. "Hey, guys," he said.

"Hi, honey." Deb waved him over. "Dinner's ready if you're hungry."

"Starving. What did you make?"

"Carl's favorite. Swedish meatballs."

"And a salad," Carl added.

"Sounds good." Lance sat down and filled his plate up.

Debbie loved his healthy appetite. "Are you going out tonight?" she asked him innocently.

"For a bit. If it's all right with you," Lance replied around a mouthful of food.

"Go if you want. But you know the rules."

"No bringing tricks home after midnight." Lance knew it by heart. He hated that rule.

"Good boy." Debbie smacked him on the cheek playfully, laughing.

* * *

The next day, Deb sat in the living room waiting for Carl to get home. Her shift at the diner had gone well and thankfully, no one had called in sick, so she had been able to leave at the end of her shift. She had changed into some sexy lingerie that she'd bought but never worn. Over top of it, she had her bathrobe securely tied. She didn't want to Carl to see the negligee until she was ready.

She nervously tapped her fingers on the coffee table. Carl had promised to be back by noon. It was going on one. What the hell had he gotten up to? She was just about to give up hope when she heard his car outside. Heart beating excitedly, she poised herself on the couch, looking every part the sexy siren.

Carl came in, whistling happily. "Hey!" he said, grinning excitedly when he saw her.

"Hey." She smiled. "How was your doctor's appointment?"

"Great. He gave me a clean bill of health."

"That's wonderful!" Debbie shot to her feet and hugged him fiercely. "I'm so happy for you!'

"Thanks." He blushed a little. "I was going to come right home after, but I decided to stop by the police department first."

"Oh. To see some of your old friends?" Deb laced her arm through Carl's.

"No. To see if they had any job openings." Carl cast his eyes downward, knowing that shit was about to hit the fan.

"What?" Debbie laughed. "Why would you go see if they had any job openings?"

"Because I'm going back to work, Deb." He met her gaze.

The smile vanished from Debbie's face. "You can't!" she protested, her cheeks flaming with indignation.

Carl sighed. "I have to. It's not fair that you're out there busting your ass to pay my bills."

"Do you want me to punch you out!" Deb exclaimed. "Cause I will!"

"Come on, Deb." Carl raised a placating hand. "I don't want to sit around here day after day feeling like some goddamn housewife."

"No! I'm not going to let you go back to work and risk killing yourself all so that you can feel more like a man!"

That stung like a slap across the face and Carl bit his tongue to refrain from saying something that would hurt Debbie as much as she'd just hurt him. "I'm going back to work, Deb," he said calmly," whether you like or not. So, I suggest you get used to it."

"I'm not getting used to anything." Spinning on her heel, Deb stomped upstairs and down the hall to her bedroom. She slammed the door and locked it behind her. Who the hell did Carl think he was? Superman? He'd had a stroke, and Debbie would be damned if he'd have another.

She changed into normal clothes and threw on her winter jacket. She had to get out of the house for a while or she'd end up knocking Carl on his ass. They both needed time to cool off and clear their heads. She'd go over to Michael's house and sit for a while. Or maybe she and Emmett could go out to dinner or something.

Deb went back downstairs and out the front door without a word. She was so angry that she couldn't even look at Carl. She got in her car and turned the key in the ignition. The engine turned over and she pulled into traffic. She fished her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Michael's number. He picked up after a few rings. "Hey, Ma," he said, sounding chipper.

"Hi, honey. Listen, are you home right now?"

"No, I'm at work. It's that time of the month again: inventory. I'll probably be here all night. Why?"

"No reason. I was just going to stop by and say hi, but I'll wait until this weekend. Talk to you later."

"Bye."

Damn! She tried Emmett and Ted and they were both busy with their spouses. That left just one person.

* * *

Brian was sitting in the den having a beer when he heard a pounding on the door. _Who the fuck is that? _he wondered. Justin had a key, so it couldn't be him. The pounding continued more enthusiastically and sighing, he got to his feet and answered it. Debbie was standing outside, hugging her coat to herself. "Deb? What the fuck are you doing here?" he asked, frowning confusedly.

"What the fuck does it look like I'm doing here?" Deb asked. "I'm freezing my ass off."

"Come in." Brian held the door open wider and ushered her through. "What's up?" He eyed her curiously. It wasn't like Debbie to just show up unexpectedly. Especially at his place. Something had to have happened.

"Do you have any pot?" Deb asked, hanging her coat on the banister.

"You drove all the way here from Pittsburgh to ask if I have any pot?" Brian laughed.

"Yeah." She put her hands on her hips threateningly.

"I thought you said you were never going to smoke pot again?" He couldn't help but antagonize her.

"Do you or don't you?" Debbie snipped.

"I think I might have some hidden away somewhere."

"Well, go get it."

"Yes, ma'am."

Shaking his head, he went upstairs and rummaged through the closet. In back on the very top shelf, he found his tin that he usually kept pot in. He took the lid off and smiled. There was a single joint inside. He hadn't smoked pot in months. Grinning devilishly, he grabbed his Zippo from the bedside stand and lit the joint, inhaling deeply.

He went back downstairs and handed the joint to Deb. "For you," he said, bowing gallantly.

"Thanks." She snatched the joint out of his hand and inhaled deeply. As she exhaled, she could already feel her mind clouding.

"So, what's troubling you?" Brian took the joint back and puffed on it.

"It's Carl."

"What did the Inspector do now?"

"He told me today that he's going back to work," Debbie squeaked, shaking her head.

"And?" Brian pressed.

"And? And he had a stroke last May. He can't go back to work. He'll have another one!"

"Calm down." Brian handed her the joint again. "Relax, Deb."

"Fuck you. Don't tell me to relax. If it was Justin you wouldn't be so fucking calm."

"Yes, I would. And you know why? Because Justin's a big boy and I let him do what he wants. I might not always like what he does, but I let him make his own decisions. I'm his partner for Christ's sakes, not his goddamn mother."

That struck a cord. Carl was her husband, not her son. She didn't have a right to tell him what to do. And for once, Brian Kinney was right. "I'm just so afraid that I'm going to lose him," she confessed, inhaling deeply on the joint.

"Listen to me, Deb. Are you listening?" She nodded. "We've been over this," Brian reminded her. "Look, if you're going to lose Carl, you're going to lose it. It doesn't matter if he's safe at home tucked in bed or out living his life. There's nothing you can do to stop it. The only thing you can do is enjoy the time you've got with him."

Debbie looked into Brian's dark eyes, seeing the knowledge within their inky depths. "You're a smart little shit, you know that?" She giggled. "When did you get so smart?"

Brian rolled his eyes. "Don't get all sentimental on me, Deb."

"No, I mean it. Everything you're saying is making perfect sense. Like you're a philop-philisoph…." She stumbled over the word.

"Philosopher?"

"Yeah! That one."

"That's the pot." Brian couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think I've ever seen you this stoned before. I should tape it and put up on Youtube."

"Wouldn't that be funny?" Debbie giggled.

Brian stood up. "All right. I'm cutting you off. Any more pot and you'll stuck in this fugue state for the rest of your life. Come on, let's get you home."

"I don't think I can drive," Deb rationalized.

"I'll drive you and have Justin pick me up on his way home."

"Okay."

During the drive back to Pittsburgh, Deb's mind cleared. Brian was right and she had no choice but to accept that Carl wanted to go back to work. It would be nice to have more money coming in. And as long as he was careful, he shouldn't end up having another stroke.

Brian pulled the car up to the curb and shut it off. "All better?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"Yeah." Deb laughed embarrassedly. "Don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you," she said meaningfully, "for everything."

"You'll get my bill."

"I owe you one, kiddo."

"You owe me a joint."

Laughing, Debbie bussed him on the cheek and got out. "Do you want to come in and wait for Sunshine?" she asked.

Brian shook his head. "We're meeting at the diner."

"Okay." She watched Brian walk off for a minute before she went back into the house. Carl was sitting at the kitchen table, head in his hands. At the sound of the door opening, he looked up. "Oh, Deb! Thank God!" He got up and ran to her, hugging her tightly. "I was so worried."

"I'm sorry," Debbie said, putting both of her hands on Carl's cheeks. "I overreacted. I'm just so scared of losing you."

"You're not going to lose me," Carl insisted. "The doctor says I'm as fit as a horse."

"You sure are." Deb laughed, tears in her eyes. "When do you start work?"

"First thing Monday morning."

"That gives us plenty of time."

Carl frowned. "Time for what?"

"Time to have loud, crazy sex."

"Sounds perfect to me." Laughing, he took Debbie's hand and steered her toward the stairs.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Justin decides on the perfect Christmas present for Brian.


	90. What Justin Did For Love

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Christmas was fast approaching and everyone had begun to do their shopping.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Nine

Justin swallowed past the lump in his throat. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, threatening to break his ribcage. _It's for Brian, _he reminded himself, breathing deeply. He had found a reputable tattoo parlor on Liberty Avenue, just past the diner. Strangely, he'd never noticed it before. _I guess I never noticed it because I was never looking for it. _For the longest time, he hadn't been able to figure out what to get Brian for Christmas. He'd agonized over it, lying awake at night, his mind flipping through the possibilities like a catalogue. Then, one night when he'd been blowing Brian, it had come to him. He'd decided to get two tattoos: one on his left shoulder and one that Brian would enjoy looking at while he was sucking him off.

When he'd gotten his nipple pierced, it had hurt like hell, but at the same time it had given him a hard-on. He hoped that getting a tattoo would be the same way. If the pain was too intense, he might chicken out and leave. And he really wanted to do this for Brian. That way no matter what, Brian would always know that he loved him and that nothing could take it away. Just like the tattoos.

He cast a nervous look over his shoulder, wishing that Brian were with him. But he knew that if Brian were there, it would spoil the surprise. Setting his chin, he pulled the door open and walked into the tattoo parlor. The bell above the door rang as he came in, announcing his arrival. Immediately, a cute younger guy looked up. He had gauges in his ears and cool, blue hair. "Hey," he said, his high voice greeting Justin. He licked lips as his eyes took in Justin's petite body.

"Hi." _Of course he's gay. I _am_ on Liberty Avenue. What did you expect?_

The guy stood up and crossed the room toward Justin, hand outstretched. "I'm Anthony," he said, grinning to expose white but crooked teeth.  
"Justin." He shook the proffered hand and cleared his throat.

"So, what can I do for you today?" Anthony led Justin back to the chairs, eying him with interest.

"I would like to get a couple of tattoos." He sighed, already feeling the needles stabbing into him.  
"Okay."

"For my husband," Justin elaborated, just to make Anthony aware that sex was not on the menu. Not with him, at least.

Anthony nodded. "Do you know what you want or would you like to look through our books and see if you can't find something you like?"

"I already know what I want." He hugged his arms against himself, feeling the coldness of the room set in. "I brought some sketches." He set the drawings down for Anthony to inspect. "I want to get one here on my left shoulder that says 'Britin Forever' in cursive and one here," Justin pointed down to right above his groin, "that says 'Property of Brian Kinney' with an arrow pointing down." He felt his face flush with embarrassment. _Why am I even doing this? _he wondered. _I'm sure I could find some other Christmas surprise for Brian._

"These are really good. Are you an artist?"

"Yes, I am," Justin replied, feeling pride buzz inside him. _I've never been able to say that before! _"I do the illustrations for _Rage: Gay Crusader_ and soon I'm getting my own exhibit at the Sydney Blum Gallery in New York."

"No way! You draw _Rage_?"

"Yeah." Justin nodded. "I take it that you're a fan?"

"The biggest. I have every issue at home. So, when's the next one coming out?"

"Soon, hopefully." Justin shrugged. "It all depends on when Michael's free to work on it."

"Well, I look forward to it."

"Thanks."

"So, these are for your husband?"

"Yeah. I know it's silly, but I want him to know that I'll always love him no matter what. I mean, I wouldn't have it permanently etched into my skin if I didn't, right?" Anthony laughed. "That's very sweet. You must love him very much." He started to pull on a blue pair of latex gloves.

"Yeah." At the sight of the tattoo gun, Justin's heart started to pound even faster in his chest.

"You okay?" Anthony asked, seeing Justin's wide eyes.

"Yeah," he lied, willing his heart to slow down. "I'm just a little nervous."

"Don't be. It hurts a little, but after awhile you don't even feel it."

"It's just that I've never done anything like this before…"

"Oh, so you're a virgin." Anthony smiled flirtatiously. "My favorite customers."

"In this sense, yes." Justin laughed. He hadn't been a virgin, for a long time.

"How long have you guys been together?" Anthony started to prep the tattoo gun and Justin absentmindedly unbuttoned his shirt, slipping it off and over the back of the chair.

"About five years now."

"Wow, that's a long time to be with someone."

Justin nodded. "We've been through a lot together. At first he didn't want it to be anything more than a one-night stand, but I followed him around until I worked my way into his life. Now, we're a mess without each other. He changed who he was to be with me."

"What do you mean?" While Justin was distracted talking about Brian, Anthony started his work. The tattoo gun buzzed, the needles digging into Justin's skin.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, jerking a little.  
"Stay still," Anthony ordered, not looking up from his task. "You were saying?" he pressed.

"His philosophy has always been that love is bullshit and marriage is nothing but an imitation heterosexual union that, by its very nature, is doomed to fail," Justin continued, gritting his teeth against the pain.

"He must love you very much to marry you, believing that marriage and love are bullshit."

"He does." Justin looked down at his shoulder and could see the beginning of the 'B' in 'Britin'.

Anthony laughed. "See? It doesn't hurt that bad."

"On a scale of what?" Justin asked.

"Believe me, I've gotten piercings that hurt like, a thousand times more than this."

"More than getting your nipple pierced?"

"Way more. Imagine having an earring jammed through your dick."

Justin shivered at the thought. "Why would you even want to get a piercing there?"

"According to the _Kama Sutra_, ancient Indian men used to stick pins and other sharp objects into their foreskin to enhance sexual pleasure."

"And does it work?" Justin asked, curious.

"Oh, yeah." Anthony laughed. "Getting a blowjob now is like, mind blowing."

"I guess deep throating is out of the question." He laughed, too distracted now to feel the pain.

"As long as we're careful."

"Wow."

By the time Anthony finished with the first tattoo, Justin felt comfortable enough with him to go through with the second, more intimate tattoo. He stood, looking at his shoulder in the mirror. Although it was a little bloody, he could see 'Britin Forever' etched into the skin. "How do you like it?" Anthony asked, chewing his lip.  
"It's good. Better than I'd imagined." He pulled his shirt back on, wincing as the skin on his arm tightened.

"Thanks." He laughed. "Now before we do this next one, are you sure you want to go through with it? It's going to hurt like a motherfucker."

"I'm sure," Justin replied without a hesitation. He knew that Brian would find the tattoo both hilarious and arousing. Not that he needed any more excuses to be aroused.

Anthony nodded. "You've been forewarned," he said.

"Don't worry, I can handle it." He unbuttoned his jeans and let them fall just above his groin. It would be a little weird having someone else down there, but as long as Anthony acted professionally, Justin was all right with it. He'd shaved himself just for the occasion and the sudden blast of frigid air on his naked skin caused him to shiver. "How long do you think it will be before I'm able to have sex?"

"About a day or so if you're careful. Make sure to let the skin breathe as much as possible. Ready?"

"I'm ready," he announced, standing before Anthony, eyes shut against the oncoming pain.

* * *

When Justin got home, he was so sore he wanted to scream. His skin kept rubbing up against his clothes and every instant of contact shot pain through him. _Brian had better like this, _he thought bitterly. _I wouldn't have done this for anyone else._ He walked through the front door and kicked his shoes off. The snow was pretty heavy outside and he didn't want to track it through the house. Especially seeing as he'd have to be the one to clean it up.

Silently, he padded in his socks up the stairs and down the hall to the bedroom. Peeking in, he saw that Brian was nowhere in sight. _Good._ Agonizingly slowly, he worked his way out of his coat and unwound his scarf, hanging them in the closet. Then, he slipped out of his jeans and pulled on a loose pair of sweats. _Maybe these will keep Brian from wanting to fuck me tonight, _he thought wryly, looking at his reflection in the mirror. The sweatpants were the most unflattering things he'd ever seen in his life. _No, even these hideous things won't stop him. _Justin couldn't help but smile. He wanted nothing more than a good fuck, but he was so sore that he knew he wouldn't be able to enjoy himself.

He didn't hear the footsteps behind him and nearly screamed when Brian came up and hugged him from behind. "Rough day?" he asked, taking in the sweatpants.  
"Exhausting," Justin confessed, turning around to face Brian. "How was yours?"

"All right." He shrugged. "But better now that you're here."

"Oh, you're so romantic," Justin teased, lacing his hands behind Brian's head,

"Hard," Brian corrected him, guiding his hand down.

"When aren't you?"

"True." Brian laughed. "I've been waiting for you all day."

"I'm sure you have." He sighed forlornly. "Unfortunately, you're going to have to wait until tomorrow."

Brian pulled back, brows knit. "What?" he asked, laughing at the absurdity. Justin was always up for sex. He loved it just as much as Brian did. It was one of things he loved most about him.

"I said, you're going to have to wait until tomorrow," Justin repeated, breaking free of Brian's embrace.

"Is everything okay?" Brian asked, frowning. "You're not sick again, are you?"

"No." Justin shook his head. "I'm just really, really tired."

"Ah." Brian nodded.

"I'd love to have hot, passionate sex with you all night, but I'm not up to it tonight. I just want to sleep."

"Well, I'll just let you sleep, then." Brian turned to go.

Justin shook his head. "Wait," he said, reaching out and snagging Brian's arm. "Don't go."

"But you just said you wanted to sleep," Brian replied, turning back to face him.

"I do, but I want you to hold me. Like you did when I was sick." He smiled sweetly, hoping that his refusal wouldn't push Brian away.

"Okay." Sighing, Brian allowed himself to be led to the bed. He climbed in and held the covers back as Justin sank into the other side, moaning softly when he bumped his tender shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?" Brian asked. "You look hurt."

"No, it's just…"I think I pulled a muscle or something last night."

"Oh, come on. I've ridden you harder than that and never hurt you before."

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

When Justin was secure in his arms, Brian pulled the blankets back up, settling back against the pillows. "Do you want a vicodin or something? I'm sure I've got one somewhere."

"No, thanks. I'll be fine. I just need to rest for awhile." Justin nestled his head against Brian's chest, smiling. There had been a time when Brian would never have even let him this close – unless they were fucking. _And now I can barely keep him off me._

"Should I take you to a doctor tomorrow?" Brian continued, stroking his hair lovingly.

"There's no need. I know that I just need to sleep it off. Tomorrow, I'll be back to normal."

Brian nodded, holding him close. After a few minutes, he looked down and saw that Justin was fast asleep, a smile lighting up his face. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips against Justin's. _Get better, Sunshine, _he thought.

* * *

The next day, Justin was still sore, but the pain was more bearable. All day, Brian kept a watchful eye on him. By the time they got home from work, Justin was itching to make love to Brian. As soon as they were through the door, he stood up on his tiptoes and kissed Brian passionately, his fingers working their way to Brian's belt.

Laughing, Brian grasped his hands. "I assume that you're feeling better?" he asked, grinning.  
"Much better," Justin confirmed, twining his fingers through Brian's hair. "I told you all I needed was a good night's sleep and I'd be myself again."

"I guess you were right."

"I'm always right."

"Of course you are." Brian chuckled. "What do you want for dinner? I'm starving."

"You." He took Brian's hand and dragged him up the stairs. "I want you inside me," he said, his voice heavy with desire.

"Sorry, I'm not feeling well," Brian joked, pulling away. "I think I need to lie down and sleep for awhile."

"Oh, no!" Justin jumped onto the bed and pulled Brian down beside him.

Laughing, they waited for the mattress to stop bouncing. "You want to know the real reason I was hurt last night?" Justin asked, turning to face Brian.

"Hmm?" Brian chewed his bottom lip.

"I got a little Christmas surprise for you,"

"You did?" Brian's eyes lit up with excitement. "You got your other nipple pierced?"

"No."

"You got…a penis pump."

"Hey!" Justin smacked his arm playfully. "I do not need a penis pump!"

"No, you don't," Brian conceded, laughing. "A cock ring?"

"Warmer, but no."

"You didn't get your dick pierced, did you?"

"God, no! I may like a little kink here and there, but that's too much for me. Although, I did hear that genital piercings are supposed to increase sexual pleasure."

"Well, I guess we'll never know." Brian sighed. "So, what did you get?"

"I got a tattoo," Justin confessed. He met Brian's gaze, hoping for a hint as to what his reaction would be. "It's an early Christmas present."

"A tattoo?" Brian scoffed. "Don't tell me you got a tramp stamp that says 'Insert Here' that points down to your ass."

"No." Justin shook his head. "You have to find it."

Arching an eyebrow, Brian scooted closer, gently lifting up the hair at the back of Justin's neck. Nothing there. Smirking, he pulled Justin's shirt off, eying his chest. Clear. He worked his way around the right arm and back. Still nothing. As he passed Justin's left shoulder, his eyes alighted upon the surprise. In cursive, the tattoo said "Britin Forever.' The intricate design of the banner made him smile. "You put a lot of thought into this."

"I wanted it to be perfect. And eternal, like our love."

Speechless, Brian crushed his lips against Justin's. Justin pushed him back gently. "Well, do you like it?" he pressed.

"I love it," Brian replied, kissing the tender spot on Justin's shoulder. This caused a shiver of excitement and pain to course through Justin's body. "Thank you."

"There's more," Justin said, eyes closed against the dual sensations.

"There is?" Brian grinned again, kissing his way down Justin's stomach. "What's the other part?

"I got another tattoo. Somewhere you'll enjoy."

"Sounds hot."

Brian continued to work his way down Justin's stomach, kissing every inch. When he reached Justin's waist, he undid the belt and tugged his jeans down. He reached down and started to stroke Justin's erection, straining against his tight underwear. "Am I close?" he murmured, his teeth gnawing at the waistband of Justin's underwear.

"Very." Justin's breath came out in short gasps.

Maintaining eye contact, Brian reached inside the front of Justin's underwear and stroked his erection, nearly bringing him over the edge.

Justin arched his back, raising his pelvis enough for Brian to pull his underwear off. Immediately he spotted the second tattoo, right where Justin's pubes would be if he had any. "Property of Brian Kinney," he read, laughing. "That explains why you were too sore for sex last night. This must've hurt like a bitch."

"It did, but it was worth it. I thought you'd enjoy looking at it while you're blowing me," Justin managed.

"Oh, I will."

"Now we match."

"My dick tattoo doesn't say 'Property of Justin Taylor'," Brian reminded him.

"No, but you still have one." He caressed Brian's cheek. "I'm glad you like your presents."

Brian lifted Justin's legs up onto his shoulders. "And now, to thank you for the lovely presents, I've got a little gift of my own."

"I can't wait."

Without another moment's hesitation, Brian buried his face in Justin's groin, causing him to gasp loudly. _Brian must _really_ like his presents, _Justin thought, burying his face in the pillow.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Michael learns how to be a big brother to Lance.


	91. Brotherly Love

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Getting a clean bill of health from his doctor, Carl decided to go back to work to help take some of the pressure off of Debbie.

* * *

Chapter Ninety

Debbie lugged another plastic reindeer up the ladder and set it down roughly on the roof. She was a little out of breath from going up and down the ladder, but she had to finish her task before the snowstorm hit. "Debbie, for the love of God, get down!" Carl called up to her.

"I can't Carl. I have to get this done."

"Christmas is next week, sweetheart. Can't you just leave the deer inside this year?"

"Carl!" Deb chastised. "How can you even say that!"

"I'm sorry."

"You know that these go up every year. It's a Novotny family tradition, just ask Michael."

"Let me help you," Carl begged, starting to climb the ladder.

"No way! Get your ass back in the house. You just got home from work and your doctor told you to take it easy, remember? You don't want to have another stroke."

"Deb, it's been almost a year since I had my stroke," Carl reminded her.

Deb waved it off. "Whatever. You're not coming up here, so why don't you just go back inside and make me some hot chocolate. I'm going to need it. Oh, and when you're done, can you bring me out a flashlight? It's going to be dark soon and I don't want to fall on my ass."

Shaking his head resignedly, Carl limped into the house. He put a pan of water on the stove to heat up. From outside, he could hear Debbie humming softly to herself as she struggled to bolt the plastic reindeer to the roof. _She's going to fall_, he thought worriedly. _I have to do something to get her back in here_. Setting eyes on the phone, he formed a plan. He quickly called Michael and tapped his foot impatiently as it rung. "Hello."

"Michael?" Carl jumped to his feet.

"Hey, Carl. This is an unexpected phone call." Michael laughed.

"Yeah, it's your mother..."

"She's not bugging the shit out of you, is she? She always gets that way around Christmas. She used to do it to me, but after I moved out, she moved on to Uncle Vic."

Carl sighed. "She's driving me crazy, but not for the reasons you think," he said, casting a nervous glance out the window to make sure that Deb hadn't fallen.

"What has she done now?" Michael asked, his voice weary. He knew his mother better than anybody.

"She's up on the roof trying to put up those plastic reindeer," Carl explained.

"Oh no."

"Yeah. I tried to get her to come down, but she won't listen to me. I was hoping that maybe you could come by and get her down before she kills herself."

"I'll be right over."

"Thanks."

Not long after, Michael peddled his bike up the driveway. "Ma!" he yelled up, angrily letting his bike fall to ground.

"Oh, hey honey!" Debbie squealed, waving excitedly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What does it look like, sweetie?" She laughed. "I'm putting up your favorite reindeer. It wouldn't be Christmas without them."

"Why don't you come down and let me do that?"

Debbie slammed one of the deer down and turned to face Michael. "I am quite capable of doing it myself, Michael," she said, her irritation bleeding through her words. "I've been doing it by myself for years."

"Yeah, but not in this kind of weather. Usually you put them up in the first week of December. Why did you wait so long this year?"

"I've been busy at work!" Deb exclaimed. "I've got another mouth to feed in the house and that costs money."

"Why don't you make him get a job? He's seventeen now, he can handle it."

"He's not ready, Michael," Debbie replied. "He's still coping with the years of abuse from his asshole father. I don't think it's in his best interest to pressure him right now."

Michael sighed. "Well, you have to do something! You can't keep working double shifts at the diner, you're going to wear yourself out again. Don't you remember what happened last time?"

"Yeah, I fainted in the middle of the diner. But don't worry about me, I'm fine. I still have the energy to do this, don't I?" She slowly made her way down the ladder, practically panting.

"No, you don't."

"Don't you have a book to go write, or something?" she asked, grabbing another deer.

"Here, let me help." Michael grabbed one of the deer's legs, taking some of the weight off of Deb.

"I got it!" Debbie insisted, shoving Michael back. "I can do it myself!"

Deb dragged the decoration up the ladder and struggled to find her balance on the slanted roof. Michael's heart leapt into his throat at the same time that Deb's arms started to flail. Rushing up the ladder, Michael righted her before she completely lost her balance. "See! This is exactly why you need to come down! There's ice up here and you're going to fall and hurt yourself! So stop being so goddamn proud and let me help you!" He cried, losing his temper. If something bad happened to his mother, he didn't know that he'd do. "Please," he begged.

Giving in, Deb let herself be led down the ladder and into the house. "That was scary," she whispered, clutching her chest. "I could've died."

"That's my point," Michael reiterated. "Now you sit down and warm up. I'll go finish putting up the decorations."

"Thanks, honey." Deb sat at the kitchen table and sipped from the mug that Carl put in front of her.

"But first, I'm going to have a word with your ward." Before Debbie could protest, Michael bolted up the steps and pounded on the door, clenching his jaw angrily.

Slowly, Lance opened the door, peering out warily. "Oh, hey," he said when he saw that it was Michael. "For a second there, I thought I was in trouble."

"You are," Michael growled, pushing his way into the room. "What the hell are you doing up here!" he demanded, glaring angrily at Lance.

"Uh, my homework," Lance answered, his tone cocky.

"Watch your mouth. Why the fuck did you let my mom, a woman in her fifties, go up on that roof in the middle of winter?"

"I..."

"I don't want to hear your excuses," Michael cut him off. "She took you in and is letting you live here for free. She's working her ass off at the diner so you can have what you need and Carl had to go back to work because money's so tight. And how do you thank them? By letting her nearly kill herself on the roof!"

"I tried to help her, but she wouldn't let me!" Lance yelled, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Don't think that you can cry your way out of this one, cause it's not going to work on me! You need to start pulling your weight around here!"

Shooting Lance one more angry look, Michael walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Debbie was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. "You had no right to talk to him like that," she said, voice quavering furiously.

"Yes, I did. He's living in my mother's house, leaching off of her."

"It's my house, Michael, not yours. And besides, you didn't exactly pull your weight when you were his age. You were too busy hanging out with Brian all the time."

"That was different!"

"Yes, it was. And the difference is, you came from a loving household. Lance didn't. You will never understand what he went through. I doubt you even care to."

Michael looked down at his feet for a second. "I'm going to finish putting the reindeer up and then I'm leaving. Apparently today is not a good day for us."

"I think that's a good idea," Debbie shot over her shoulder, as she walked past him, up the stairs. "And don't come back until you're ready to have a little fucking compassion."

Stung, Michael stared after her for a few seconds, unsure that he had heard her correctly. How could she turn on him like that? He was only looking out for her well being, surely she should be thanking him, not throwing him out. "What the hell just happened?" Michael asked Carl, who was watching from the living room.

"You were a little hard on him, Michael," Carl replied. "He tried to help her, but you know how stubborn your mother is. No one can stop her once she sets her mind to something. What choice did he have but to give up?"

"He could've called me," Michael suggested.

"Next time, I'm sure he will. If only to avoid getting yelled at."

Carl's words rung home, Michael looked up the stairs toward his old room. Maybe he had been a little hard on Lance, but he was damned if anything would happen to his mother if it could be prevented. Nodding at Carl, he put his coat back on and stepped outside. The snow was falling and the temperature had dropped noticeably. _Great_, he thought bitterly as he stumbled up the ladder, careful not to slip on the snow that now clung to the rungs. Digging in his pocket, he found his gloves and put them on before his hands could get too cold. He wouldn't be able to do much with numb hands.

The whole time he worked, he thought about what his mother and Carl had said. When he was Lance's age, he hadn't had a job. Debbie wouldn't let him have one. She'd insisted that his schoolwork was more important. Oftentimes, she had picked up as many extra shifts as possible, coming home in time to snag a few hours' sleep before going back to work. There hadn't been anyone around to tell him to pull his own weight.

The wind continued to whip around him, blowing snow in his face. When he was finally done, he grabbed the ladder and carried it into the house, grateful for the sudden blast of heat that welcomed him. "Jesus Christ, Michael, you're freezing!" Debbie exclaimed, feeling his cheeks. "Come in and get warm. Let me get you some hot chocolate."

"Thanks," Michael muttered, setting the ladder down. "It's coming down pretty bad out there."

"Do you think we're going to get snowed in?" Deb asked, eyes wide.

"I doubt it, but getting home is going to be a treat. It's times like these that I wish I still had my car."

"I'll drive you," Debbie promised. "We should probably wait for the roads to clear up a bit, though. You can stay for dinner and it'll be just like old times!"

Michael looked at his mother, unblinking. "I thought you wanted me to get out?"

"I'm sorry about that." Deb lowered her head in shame. "I know that you were just looking out for me, but you have to understand what poor Lance is going through."

"Is he upstairs?" Michael asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm going to go apologize."

"Good for you, honey." Deb gave him two mugs of hot chocolate. "One for Lance," she explained.

"How upset is he?"

"On a scale of one to ten?" Michael nodded. "Twenty."

"Oh, shit."

"Don't worry, I calmed him down. He was packing a bag to leave."

"But he has nowhere to go."

"That didn't matter to him. He didn't want to be a burden to me."

Swallowing his guilt, Michael went upstairs again. The door to his bedroom was slightly ajar, and he could hear the sounds of Lance crying inside. Gingerly, he pushed the door open with his foot. "Hey," he said cheerily.

"What do you want?" Lance immediately got to his feet. "Did you come to yell at me some more?"

"No." Michael felt another pang of guilt. "I thought you might like some hot chocolate."

"Thanks," Lance muttered, taking the mug from Michael's hand. "Did she send you up here?"

"No. I came up here to apologize."

"You did?" Lance looked over at Michael hopefully.

"Yeah. I was too hard on you. You have to understand something: my mother is all I have by way of family. My friends are great and I love them like family, but they can't replace her.

"When she was up on the roof, she slipped and almost fell. I was so afraid; I thought she was going to fall. Carl told me that you tried to help her."

"I did, but she threatened to chop my balls off and make a necklace out of them if I touched one of the deer."

"That's my mother." Michael laughed. "Look, she loves taking care of people. She _needs_ to have someone to take care of, but she also needs someone to take care of her. If I lived here, I'd gladly do it, even though she is a pain the neck sometimes. But I'm married and have my own responsibilities. I can't worry about her getting hurt. If Carl was in better health, he could do it, but he's still recovering from his stroke. That's why I need you to keep an eye one her; help her with the chores, carry in the groceries, do the dishes. Just simple things."

"I'll look after her," Lance promised.

"And if she threatens you like that again, just call me and I'll come over. I might be the only person she'll listen to, but at least you can say that you tried."

"Okay."

Michael smiled over at Lance. "So are we still friends?" he asked.

"I think we're more than that," Lance replied, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"And what exactly are we?"

"We're kind of like brothers, in a way."

"I've never had a brother," Michael mused.

"What about your friend Brian?"

"Let's just say that would be illegal to have the kinds of thoughts that I used to had about him if he were my brother."

"Oh." Lance laughed. "I can't blame you. He is gorgeous."

"Yeah, he is."

Lance chewed his lip. "So," he prompted. "Brothers?"

"Brothers," Michael agreed, standing. He held his arms out. "Come on." Lance stood up and hugged Michael, cherishing the feel of his arms around him. He knew that Michael was married and that he had no chance with him, but the one thing that couldn't be stopped by logic was fantasy.

"Boys, dinner's ready!" Debbie called up the stairs.

"I guess we better go then," Lance whispered, willing Michael to stay put.

"Yeah, if we're not down in less than a minute, she'll come pounding up here."

"And we wouldn't want that to happen."

"Definitely not."

Grudgingly, he let go of Michael, breathing in his tantalizing scent one last time. It sucked having a crush on somebody who would never return your feelings, and from what he understood, Michael knew exactly how it felt since he'd pined after Brian for years. Every time Lance went out to Babylon, he hoped to find his special someone, but so far, all he'd managed to find were a dozen or so quick fucks that didn't want relationships. Still, he held out hope.

Laughing, they went downstairs. Right as they reached the bottom step, Debbie was approaching them. Michael hadn't been joking. "I was starting to think you two were up there fucking," she teased, turning back toward the table.

"What! Like that would ever happen," Michael exclaimed, clapping Lance on the back.

"Yeah," Lance agreed, his smile vanishing.

"Well, come on, sit down. The food's going to get cold."

"What did you make tonight, Ma?" Michael asked, taking the seat closest to Deb.

"Seafood paella," she answered.

"What!"

Debbie turned to look at him. I found the recipe in some of Vic's old stuff. I thought I'd give it a try in his honor."

"That's sweet, Ma."

"Thanks, baby." She sat down and hovered her fork over the food. "This is for you, baby brother," she whispered, taking a bite.

"Uncle Vic would've loved this," Michael assured her. "I can just picture him here with us, wearing one of his Hawaiian shirts." He smiled at the visual.

"Me, too, honey." Debbie squeezed his hand.

After dinner, Lance dutifully cleared the table and offered to do the dishes. Deb looked at Michael questioningly and he smiled in return. "It looks like the snow let up a little," he noted, looking out the window.

"Vic must be smiling on us," Debbie murmured. "Come on, let's get you home before the roads get any worse."

"Bye, guys," Michael said, waving to Carl and Lance.

"Goddamn it, where are my keys!" Debbie exclaimed, rooting around in her purse. "They were here last time I looked."

"They're in your coat pocket," Lance said, not looking up from his dishes.

Deb reached into her pocket and smiled triumphantly. "How did you know that?"

"I remembered seeing you put them there the other day when we went to the store."

"Oh, right." Deb shook her head. "I must be getting senile in my old age."

"You're not that old, Ma," Michael consoled her as they went outside. Thankfully, the wind had let up with the snow. Otherwise, it would have been a trial getting to the car.

They didn't say much on the drive to Michael's house. Debbie stared straight ahead, wary of black ice. She hadn't owned a car for long and she was very nervous about driving in bad weather. When she pulled up in front of the house, Debbie unbuckled her seatbelt. "Do you want to come in?" Michael asked, his hand on the door.

"No, thanks, honey. I'd better be getting back home. Give my love to Ben and Hunter."

"I will. I'm sure I'll see you later in the week, but if I don't, I'll for sure be over for Christmas."

"Okay. I was thinking of just doing a small family Christmas this year. You, me, Carl, Ben, Hunter, and Lance. If that's okay with you."

"That's fine. I'm sure that everybody else will want to spend Christmas with their significant others anyway." Michael grinned. "Love you."

"Love you, too." Michael got out of the car and waved Debbie off before hurrying inside.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Melanie's big case finally goes to trial.


	92. The Meaning of Love

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Melanie took on the biggest case of her life.

* * *

Chapter Ninety-One

Melanie stared out the window, her eyes unseeing. Outside, snowflakes flitted gently down through the cool night air. Any other time, Melanie would have been captivated, her eyes alight with joy. As a girl, she'd always enjoyed sitting down with her grandfather and watching the snowflakes dancing outside the window. But tonight, her mind was a million miles away. In an entirely different galaxy.

"Mel?" Lindsay's voice cut through her trance.

"Huh?" Melanie blinked. "I'm sorry, Linz, I must have spaced out." She forced herself to chuckle.

"I asked if you wanted some more wine." Lindsay frowned, her brows knit in worry. It wasn't like Melanie to be so distant.

"A little, please."

Lindsay dutifully topped off Melanie's glass and eyed her worriedly. "Is everything all right, Mel?"

"Everything's fine," Mel lied, taking of bite of her previously untouched salad. "It's good."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Lindsay reached over and grasped Melanie's hand tightly in her own. "We've been partners for eleven years now. I know you better than that."

"Yes. You do." Melanie sighed, wishing that was better able to hide her emotions about this.

"Then what it is? Whatever it is, tell me. I promise it's going to be all right."

"You already know."

"Oh." Lindsay caught Melanie's eye.

"Yeah."

"It's the case, isn't it?" Lindsay was so perceptive. It was one of the things that had drawn Melanie to her in the first place. Well, that and her good looks, warm heart, and infectious optimism.

"Yes." She avoided Lindsay's gaze by shifting hers down to her napkin.

"You're gone over everything a million times," Lindsay soothed. "Looked at it from every possible angle. There's no reason that the judge shouldn't grant James have custody of his son. He's a changed man."

"Never say never," Mel muttered, sipping her wine.

Lindsay sighed. "You're a good lawyer, Mel. You're a good partner, a good mother, a good person. If you believe so strongly that James deserves custody of his son, then who can argue it?"

Melanie lifted her eyes to meet Lindsay's once more. This trial was turning her into a mess. It wasn't like her to get so involved. Usually she was cool and confident, not letting anything get in her way, but for whatever reason, she was terrified of failing. Of letting James down. "Linz, it's so much more complicated than you can even understand."

"Then help me," Lindsay implored.

Melanie saw the love glowing from Lindsay's eyes and felt her heart melting. Her lips tugged into a smile. Lindsay was right. Everything would be okay in the end. Hopefully. "I'm so terrified of failing," she admitted. "All my life I've been driven to succeed. Sure, I've fallen short once or twice but when I did, somehow things always worked out okay in the end."

"Like when you failed to get Michael and Ben custody of Hunter and then Mrs. Montgomerey's true colors presented themselves in front of the judge? And Hunter got to go and live with Michael and Ben?"

"Exactly. But if I fail this time, there is no happy ending. For James or for Ryan. Ryan's grandparents won't let James see his son if they're awarded custody. That would tear James apart. He's worked so hard to get his life together for his son. His number one priority now is that boy. And I really want to give him the best Christmas of his life by getting him custody of Ryan."

A tear spilled down Melanie's cheek and Lindsay gently wiped it away with a tender caress. "And you _are _going to give him that perfect Christmas."

"I wish I could be as sure as you are."

"Why aren't you? This isn't like you at all, Mel." She brushed Melanie's short hair lovingly. "You never let fear get the better of you before. Why start now? This isn't the Melanie that I know and love."

"You're wrong," Melanie said, kissing Lindsay's hand gently. "This is the real me, Linz. I'm not indestructible. I'm not fearless. I am terrified all the time. But all of the strength I have, all the confidence…it comes from you." She smiled. "Because I know that no matter what happens, no matter how badly I fuck up, I'll always have you. And you'll always love me."

Lindsay blinked back tears of her own. "And I know that you'll always love me."

Their lips met for a brief second before Melanie pulled away. "Linz, can I ask you something?"

"Anything." Lindsay didn't care what it was. If it would help Melanie, then she would do it. No questions asked.

"Will you come with me tomorrow?"

"Oh." Lindsay hadn't been expecting that one.

"I know there's probably a million things you'd rather do than sit in a courtroom all morning listening to bunch of lawyer technobabble, but I need you there."

"Of course I'll come." Luckily, Lindsay was off from work until the new year and Gus and Jenny were staying with Melanie's cousin Jeanie and her kids. Lindsay's time probably would be better spent cleaning the house or finishing up her Christmas shopping, but her partner needed her and that was a thousand times more important.

"I need to know that you'll be there to support me. I can't do it without you."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

They kissed again, except this time, it increased in intensity until both Melanie and Lindsay had forgotten what was bothering them. Not breaking the kiss, they slipped out of their clothes, their hands exploring the contours of their bodies. Melanie craned her neck down and massaged Lindsay's erect nipple with her tongue. At the instant of contact, a sigh of pleasure escaped Lindsay, who practically swooned.

Suddenly, the old Melanie was back. She laid Lindsay down on the tabletop and climbed on top of her, straddling her. Lindsay relinquished control to Melanie, her body screaming with ecstasy. Melanie moved her mouth to Lindsay's other nipple, her lips massaging the tender skin as her hand teased the other one. Lindsay's breath came out in quick gasps, her body shuddering with delight.

Spurred on by Lindsay's passionate moaning, Melanie worked her way down, licking a trail down her stomach. Lindsay arched her back in anticipation as the trail ended right at her pleasure center. She expertly worked her tongue, knowing every trick to make Lindsay euphoric. They'd been together for so long that there were no secrets between. Melanie knew exactly what turned Lindsay on and vice versa. They were like a well-oiled machine. It didn't take her long to get what she wanted.

When Lindsay climaxed, Melanie raised her head, locking eyes with her partner. Lindsay smiled down at her, her eyes burning with passion. Her lustful hunger was sated for now, but soon, she'd want more. She always did. "I love you so much," she whispered, her voice hoarse from the screaming. "

"I love you, too. More than anything. "

Without another word, they fell into each other's arms, everything but each other forgotten.

* * *

The next morning, Melanie and Lindsay got to the courthouse early. James was there waiting, tapping his fingers nervously. "Hey," he said when he saw Melanie. He jumped to his feet.

"Hi." She clapped his arm amicably. "How are you feeling?"

"Honestly? I'm fucking terrified."

"Don't be," Lindsay interjected, smiling warmly. "You're in the best possible hands."

"Thanks, Linz." Melanie hid a secret smile behind her hand. "James, this is my partner, Lindsay Peterson."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Same here." Lindsay pumped his hand. "I've heard so much about you."

"Likewise."

Before long, the court session had officially begun. Melanie sat beside James, secretly squeezing his hand under the table. The judge read the summary of the case and called upon Ryan's grandparent's lawyers. Mr. and Mrs. Mailoux watched on, their chins set determinedly. "Your honor," the lawyer said, his thin, reedy voice, grating on Melanie's nerves. "My clients feel that as honest, responsible, law-abiding citizens, they deserve full custody of their grandson. They'd be much better caretakers and role models than a drug addicted convict."

"Objection." Melanie's voice rang out through the courtroom.

"Yes, Ms. Marcus?" the judge prodded, eying her over his glasses.

"My client's past is exactly that. It has nothing to do with the person that he is today."

"Would you trust your children with someone of such an obvious lack of morals?" the Mailoux's lawyer asked, scoffing.

"He was a young kid who made some bad decisions," Melanie challenged, her cheeks flaming in anger. Who the hell did this pissant think he was to make such judgments against someone that he didn't even know? It was ignorant people like that that kept hate alive in the world. Because of people like him, she and Lindsay had had to uproot their lives and move to another country, all because people couldn't reserve their judgments for a higher power. It infuriated her to no end.

"No, he was a drug addict who beat his girlfriend and spent a fair amount of time behind bars. "

"First off, he _allegedly _assaulted his girlfriend."

"Splitting hairs."

"And second, that fair amount of time my client spent behind bars was what led him to realize his past mistakes and change his way of life so that he could be the best father he could be to his son. He deserves a chance."

"And what's to stop him from using again and beating his son?"

"Enough!" The judge's booming voice reverberated throughout the room. "This is a court session, not a schoolyard squabble. I suggest you conduct yourselves more like professionals."

"Sorry," Melanie muttered, lowering her head in obeisance.

"Now, Ms. Marcus, what defense do you have for your client?"

Melanie's plan had worked. She's tricked the other lawyer into showing his less-than-professional side, and then when reprimanded, she had apologized and conducted herself while the other lawyer fumed. She smiled and cleared her throat, rising to stand face-to-face with the judge. "Your Honor, from the time of his release from prison, my client has conducted himself with nothing but the utmost care. He's gotten himself a steady, decently paying job, a suitable apartment near a few good schools , and most importantly, has not so much as touched a drop of alcohol. He has committed himself one hundred percent to bettering his life so that he and his son could be together. And who, in their good conscience, could keep a loving father and son apart? Sure, he's made some wrong decisions in his life, but who in this room hasn't? I have. I'm sure you have as well."

The judge nodded slightly. "Is that all?" he asked.

"No." Melanie turned around and locked eyes with Lindsay. The instant their eyes met, she felt courage well up inside of her and she turned back around to face the judge. "Your Honor, all I'm asking is for a father to be reunited with his son. I'm a parent, believe me, if my children were taken from me, I would do anything I had to to get them back. You're a parent, I know you understand." The judge chewed his lip. "Please. Give Mr. Reynolds a chance to be with his son. It's all he lives for. And he's earned it."

There was silence for several seconds as the judge let Melanie's plead sink in. Finally, he cleared his throat. "Thank you, Ms. Marcus. I don't believe I've had such a passionate lawyer in my courtroom for many, many years."

"Thanks." Melanie grinned obligingly.

"You made a very good argument." He sighed. "But in the end, I have to make a ruling based on my thoughts, nobody else's." Melanie felt her heart leap into her throat. Shit! She'd blown her chance and let James down. "I feel that in this case, the child belongs…" the silence that followed was tangible, nerve-wracking. Everyone present in the room gripped the edge of their seat nervously. Finally, the judge finished. "With his father."

"Yes!" Melanie stood and hugged James tightly. She'd done it! James cried into her shoulder, his words unintelligible.

Lindsay came forward, grinning broadly. "You did it!" she said, happily.

"Thanks to you." Melanie returned her smile.

"It was all you."

Outside the courthouse, the Mailouxes forcedly allowed their grandson to run into his father's arms. Seeing the joy in both father and son's face, Melanie couldn't help but blink away tears of her own. She had managed to reunite a family. Sure, she had wanted to win the case so that her firm would take her seriously and possibly make her partner, but more than that, she had wanted to make it right. And she had.

Lindsay squeezed her hand companionably. "How about we go home?" she suggested, resting her head on Melanie's shoulder."

"Mmmm. Sounds perfect."

"We can swing by Jeanie's on the way home and pick up Gus and Jenny."

"I'd like that."

Arm-in-arm, they headed home to spend the day with their children. There was nothing more important they could think of.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk:** On Christmas Eve, Brian and Justin share intimate secrets and find an interesting way to pass the time.


	93. Sharing Secrets

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **With Christmas fast approaching, everyone was feeling the holiday cheer.

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Two

The next week, while the snow fell and the wind howled outside, Brian and Justin sat in front of the fireplace, cuddling and drinking champagne. They had just finished having sex, and lay in each other's arms, breathless. "I can't believe that Mel and Linz are going to drive down here in this weather," Justin said, looking out the window at the veritable blizzard. He couldn't even see three feet past the window. The thought of driving in that kind of weather made his heart race even quicker.

"It's no better than flying," Brian pointed out. "I'd be surprised if the pilot could even see to fly the damn plane."

"Well, they're not coming until the morning, so hopefully thing's will clear up by then."

"I checked the weather forecast; it's supposed to be even worse tomorrow if that's possible."

"Shit."

"Yeah." Brian took another swig from his glass. "If worse comes to worse, they'll stay home. Maybe by the end of the week, things will have settled down a little."

"Maybe."

The fire crackled, warming the room tremendously. "You know, if we get snowed in, we'll have to tunnel our way out," Justin mused, casting another nervous glance out the window. "We don't have any neighbors in the immediate area, nobody would even know for the longest time."

"We're not going to get snowed in," Brian assured him for the tenth time that evening. "We have a better chance of being struck by lightning."

"Just about the time you say that, it'll happen. If we run out of food, I'm going to eat you first."

"What about the horses? I hear they taste just like chicken."

"Gross!" Justin playfully swatted at Brian's arm. "I could never eat a horse."

"So, you could never eat a horse but you could eat me? That's very comforting."

"I'm sure you'd taste better," Justin explained with a shrug.

"That's always good to know."

Justin stared into the fire for a second. "If we lose power, will you keep me warm?" he asked.

"Sure. We'll keep a fire going and fuck right here on the floor. It won't get much warmer than that," Brian replied with a sly grin.

"Good." Justin kissed him lightly on the lips. "God, it's really coming down out there," he said.

"Will you just relax?" Brian said, rolling his eyes. "All you've done is sit there and fret about nothing."

"I gave you a hand job," Justin said in his defense. "And then we had sex for almost an hour."

"And the whole time you stared out the window, practically shitting your pants."

"Not the whole time. And I still managed to cum, that's good, right?"

"Just stop worrying, okay? Everything is going to be fine. When we got married I promised that I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you and I intend to keep my word."

"I'm sorry, but this makes me nervous."

Brian nodded. "What can I do to calm you down?" he asked. He wasn't used to seeing Justin quite so on edge and frankly, it was making him a bit nervous, too.

"I don't know. Probably nothing," Justin replied, emptying his flute of champagne again.

"Careful there, Sunshine, if you don't stop drinking it all, we won't have any left for tomorrow," Brian cautioned. "And I really don't feel like going out to get more."

"This is my last glass. I do not want to wake up on Christmas with a hangover."

"Yeah, better save that for New Year's," Brian teased. "We'll definitely need all of the alcohol we can get."

"Deb's not planning another party, is she?" Justin asked warily.

"Not as far as I know. I think we're all just doing our own thing this year."

Justin heaved a sigh of relief. "Good, I'm looking forward to spending time with just you and Gus."

"Don't forget Lindsay and Melanie," Brian added.

"Them, too."

"Oh God," Brian groaned, eyes wide.

"What is it?" Justin asked, sitting bolt upright.

"I just had a terrifying thought: what if we get snowed in here with the munchers?" His mouth dropped open.

"That would be pretty scary," Justin agreed. "Listening to them panting in the bedroom like a couple of dogs. Gross." He shivered with disgust,

Brian frowned. "Hopefully they've gotten things under control in the past few weeks. I really don't want to have to listen to them again."

"I'm sure they have. Besides, I read somewhere that in the winter, your sex drive isn't as strong."

"Where the hell did you read that?"

"I can't remember."

"Well whoever wrote that is full of shit. My sex drive is just as strong in the winter as it is the rest of the year."

"Maybe you're just extraordinary," Justin suggested, smiling wryly.

"Well, we already knew that."

"Yeah, we did. Hey, I have an idea."

Brian looked over at him. "What?" he asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Tell me something about yourself that nobody but you knows," Justin replied, smiling.

"What is this, Truth or Dare?" Brian scoffed.

"Come on, it'll be fun. Please?" As soon as Justin pouted his lips, Brian was won over.

"Fine. Let me think for a minute." He drummed his fingers on his lip, deep in thought. It had to be something worthwhile.

"Take all the time you need."

"Okay, I got it." He smiled triumphantly. "You are going to love this one. It'll get you hard."

"I'm sure it will." Justin laughed. "So, what's your secret?"

"The first time I masturbated, it was to..." Before Brian could finish, Justin cut him off.

"Don't tell me, Patrick Swayze?" Justin rolled his eyes. "You and Patrick Swayze. I swear, you two should have gotten married."

"No, this was long before I even knew who he was. And we couldn't have gotten married because he doesn't go for cock."

Justin frowned. "Then who?" he asked, furrowing his brow pensively.

"If you'd let me finish, I'll tell you."

"Fine. Sorry. The stage is all yours."

"It was to James Dean."

"James Dean!" Justin laughed. "Are you serious? He wasn't even that cute."

"I was twelve years old and my choices were limited," Brian said defensively. "It was 1983 after all."

"I guess I can forgive you then. I'm glad that your taste has improved over the years."

"What about you? Who was your first?"

"Leonardo DiCaprio." He smiled dreamily.

"From what movie?"

"Romeo + Juliet. After I saw that sex scene, I don't know, I just started experimenting, touching myself... And before I knew it..."

"You were wiping cum off your chin," Brian finished snidely.

"Yeah. It was the greatest feeling I'd ever experienced. Until we had sex." Justin laughed. "That's when I knew for sure that I was gay."

"Bravo."

The wind howled loudly and Justin threw a quick glance over his shoulder. Brian got up and looked out the window. "It looks like it's clearing up a little," he lied. As long as Justin didn't look outside, he'd never know the difference.

"It is?" Justin asked hopefully.

"Yep."

"Let me see." Justin got to his feet and peered out the window. "No it isn't!" he protested.

"Okay, I was lying," Brian confessed.

"You know what would really keep my mind off of the storm outside?" Justin asked, smiling coyly.

"What?"

Justin looked over to the corner of the room where the Christmas tree had been erected. They hadn't had much by way of decorations, so they had devoted a whole Saturday to buying everything they needed, Gus had helped out. The lights twinkled brightly and for a second, Justin lost his train of thought. Brian snapped his fingers in front of Justin's face. "What?" Justin asked.

"I asked you what would keep your mind off of the storm," Brian said, shaking his head.

"You could let me open one of my Christmas presents," Justin suggested, catching Brian's eye.

"You're kidding, right?" Brian asked, laughing.

"No. I can't worry about what's going on outside if I'm too busy opening presents, can I?"

"But it's only Christmas Eve," Brian protested.

"So! Growing up, we always opened our presents on Christmas Eve."

"Why?"

"Because on Christmas, we'd always go over to my Grandma's house to open her presents."

Brian nodded. "All right, you can open some presents, but I get to pick which ones."

"Thank you!" Justin planted a quick kiss on Brian's cheek and dashed over to the tree, taking the blanket with him.

"Hey!" Brian exclaimed, now completely exposed.

"Sorry. I need it." Justin wrapped the blanket around himself like a toga and knelt down in front of the tree, looking down at the mountain of presents underneath it. They had put some of Gus's presents under the tree, but the majority were still upstairs waiting to be wrapped.

"Can I open this one?" Justin held up a small box.

"I guess." Brian pulled on his pants and looked around for his shirt. Finally, he found it under the pillow he'd been laying on.

Justin waited until Brian was next to him before he ripped the wrapping paper off the present. Eagerly, he opened the box and grinned. Brian had gotten him a zip drive. "It's a zip drive…." he said, trying not to sound disappointed. Sure, he needed one, but he had been hoping for something a little more meaningful than that.

"I saw it at the store and figured that you could use it so that you don't lose your papers for school"

"Thanks!" Justin kissed him gently. The truth was, he really did need a zip drive. He'd hate to spend countless hours on a paper only to have it all lost should the system crash. Thankfully, it hadn't happened to him so far. "I love it."

"I'm glad." Brian smiled down at him. "Don't worry, there's plenty more where this came from. And they're not all junk like that."

"More?"

"Yep. This is just the appetizer. That's probably the cheapest thing that I bought for you." Justin shot him a look. "I promise I didn't spend too much."

Justin grinned and reached under the tree. "This one is for you," he said, handing Brian the book he'd bought him a few weeks earlier. "I hope you like it."

"It's coming from you, how could I not like it?"

"Just open it!" Justin chewed his lip nervously.

"It's_...And Then There Were None_ by Agatha Christie," Brian said.

"Emmett helped me pick it out," Justin explained. Oops, I wasn't going to tell him that part.

"Emmett? I'm sure that was a fun shopping trip. How many clothes and shoes stores did he drag you to?"

"It wasn't like that. We bumped into each other at the bookstore and I mentioned that I was looking for a mystery book and he recommended that one. He said it was a must-read."

"I see. You didn't tell them that I like to read, did you?"

"No." Justin smiled reassuringly. "I told them that it was for my mother."

"Great job. The last thing I want is for Emmett and Ted to start heckling me about it."

"They won't. Do you like it?"

"I love it. Thank you." He smiled. "Come here."

Brian pulled Justin down and kissed him, his desire burning intensely. "Wait, wait," Justin protested, pulling away slowly.

"What?" Brian asked, his eyes heavy with lust. He was ready for round two and he didn't want any interruptions.

"Well, we've already opened one, we might as well open the others, right?"

"You're a sly one, you know that?" Brian laughed. "Go ahead," he yielded. "But after we're done, you and I are going to fuck."

"Where's that one you were telling me about?" Justin asked, rifling through the presents.

"Which one?" Brian's voice was innocently clueless. "There are a lot of presents under the tree that happen to be for you."

Justin gave him a 'come on' look. "You know which one. The one that's something I've always wanted but you said I couldn't have. Where is it?"

"Oh, that one."

"Yeah." Justin nodded excitedly. "I want to open it right now. The suspense is killing me!"

"It's not under there."

"Oh." Justin deflated. "Where is it then?"

"It hasn't come yet," Brian answered simply.

"What? I thought it was supposed to be delivered two weeks ago?"

"That was something else, too. But I have to go pick it up tomorrow."

"Why couldn't you have just gotten it and put it under the tree?" Justin quizzed him, sitting on his lap.

"Let's just say that it would be a little off by the time you opened it."

"You didn't get me food, did you?" Justin scowled. "What kind of a present is that?"

"It's not food," Brian assured him.

"Then what is it?"

"I can't tell you that. You'll find out tomorrow. There's got to be something left over to open on Christmas."

Justin sighed loudly. "Here, open this," he said dejectedly. He handed Brian another present. Brian slowly peeled the wrapping paper off, drawing out Justin's anxiety. "Just open the damn thing already!" Justin screamed.

"Okay." Brian snickered and tore the wrapping off. He looked at the paper in his hands. "A plane ticket to Australia?"

"To Sydney, Australia," Justin explained.

"This is for the end of March."

"That's when Gay Mardi Gras is, right?"

Brian's face lit up in a smile. "You didn't?" he asked, moving closer to Justin.

"I did. I know how much you'd been wanting to go and since you missed it last year because of what happened...I thought I'd make sure that you went for sure this year."

"Thank you." Brian kissing Justin's lips lightly. "It's perfect."

"You're welcome."

"Can you afford this?" Brian asked, his tone serious. He did not want Justin spending all of his money on him.

"I got the ticket at a discount price," Justin assured him.

Brian smiled, relieved. "It's too bad that you're not coming with me. It would have been fun for the two of us to go together."

"I am coming with you."

"What?"

"I bought two tickets. Mine is upstairs in the bedside stand. We're going together."

"Good, cause I wouldn't want to go without you."

"Afraid you might be tempted?" Justin teased.

"Not at all. It just wouldn't be fun if you weren't there to remind me of how much I love you. Besides, I wouldn't be able to enjoy myself because I'd be too busy missing you."

Justin blushed. "I already made the reservations, so everything is all set. All you have to do is come."

"I've never had a problem with that before," Brian said with a mischievous grin.

"I knew you'd somehow manage to make this conversation about sex."

"Don't I always?"

"You manage." They kissed again.

"Here, open this one." Brian handed Justin a medium sized box. "You'll love this one."

"If you insist." Justin tore it open and his breath caught in his chest. Brian had read his mind. "You got me a laptop?"

"Now you quit bugging me about using mine."

"Perfect." He grinned.

"Maybe we can get webcams and talk to each other from separate rooms," Brian teased.

"Yeah, right. I love it."

Brian shrugged it off. "Don't mention it. Anything to put a smile on your face."

"Oh, stop!" Justin blushed. "Just seeing you puts a smile on my face."

"I can't blame you. If I saw me, I'd smile, too," Brian joked. "Actually, I'd do more than smile..."

"Very funny, Brian." He was silent for a minute. "So, what do you say we save the rest of the presents for tomorrow?"

"I thought you were dying to open them all tonight?"

"I opened enough to tide me over until tomorrow. And I think I should so my appreciation for these lovely gifts." He kissed Brian's neck, rubbing Brian's pecs through the material of his shirt.

"Only if you let me show my appreciation," Brian muttered, his voice husky.

"Deal." They moved closer together and Brian tugged at the blanket. It pulled away from Justin's body.

"Hey!" Justin protested, hugging himself tightly against the sudden chill.

"I need it," Brian said, mocking Justin. "We have to lay something down on the floor. Didn't you learn anything from that time on the nursery floor?"

Brian laid the blanket down on the wooden floor and climbed onto it, patting the spot next to him. He grabbed Justin's arm and gently pulled him down onto the blanket.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Mel and Linz come to town. Justin is excited by this Christmas present.


	94. Rage

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **On Christmas Eve, Brian and Justin spent the night together sharing secrets. The snow was coming down hard, and nervous of being snowed in, Justin opened some of his presents to take his mind off the storm.

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Three

Brian opened his eye a crack. Immediately, he put a hand up to block out the sunlight that was shining right into his face. Who had forgotten to close the blinds? Slowly, he sat up and groaned when he felt a twinge in his back. Why was the mattress so hard? Looking around at his surroundings, he saw that he wasn't in the bedroom at all––he was in the den. On the floor. After opening the presents, he and Justin had made love a couple of times and apparently, they'd fallen asleep_. That would explain why my back is sore,_ Brian thought, grimacing.

He looked over to where Justin should be, except he wasn't there. _What the hell?_ Usually, Justin was still asleep. Brian's head snapped up when he heard the sound of someone coming into the room. "Good morning," Justin said with a bright smile. He was carrying a tray of food.

"Is it?" Brian asked, rubbing the sore spot on his back. "That is the last time we fuck on the floor."

"Your back's sore?" Justin asked, climbing down next to Brian.

"Yeah. It's that goddamn hardwood flooring. It's been digging into my back all night. I'll be lucky if I can still walk."

"Maybe if you had a little more meat on your bones, it wouldn't be so bad," Justin teased, setting the tray down between them.

Brian scowled at him. "I have plenty of meat on my bones, trust me."

"Okay. Here, have some breakfast." Justin motioned toward the tray that was piled high with breakfast foods.

"You brought me breakfast?" Brian asked.

"I thought it was a good way to show my appreciation," Justin replied, grinning.

"You more than showed your appreciation last night." Brian smiled at the memory. "Three times."

"That was just a warm up," Justin assured him. "Now come on, your food's going to get cold."

"Thanks, I'm starving." Brian leaned down and kissed Justin. "You want some?"

"Maybe a little." Justin grabbed a strip of bacon from the tray and crunched on it for a few seconds. "Did you see it outside?"

"No, but I was almost blinded by the fucking sunlight coming in the window. I thought it was supposed to be shitty out today."

"I guess the weather prediction was wrong. It's a lot nicer outside today than it's been in weeks. The snow's practically all melted."

Brian slowly got to his feet and peered out the window. "Well I'll be damned. I guess Lindsay and Melanie shouldn't have a problem driving down here, then."

"No. They called about an hour ago to say that they were on their way," Justin said.

"That's good." Brian sat back down and took a bite of his eggs. "I should probably finish wrapping Gus's presents before they get here," he mused.

"After breakfast," Justin agreed. "They won't be here for another couple of hours. You have plenty of time to wrap presents."

"I guess. Where are my clothes?" Brian asked, digging around in the blankets for his pants.

"Right here." Justin handed him a stack of neatly folded clothes.

"You folded them for me?"

"Well they were strewn all over the room, we got pretty crazy last night. I thought it would be easier for you find them this way."

"I see." Brian pulled his pants on. "I love how well you take care of me."

Justin beamed. "I do my best." He stole another couple pieces of bacon from the tray. "You know, this is the first time that we've officially celebrated Christmas together as a couple.

"Is it?" Brian frowned. He thought back on the past five Christmases. He couldn't recall ever spending Christmas with only Justin. Usually, he went to Babylon and paid a visit to the back room. And then, if he was lucky, he went home with one or two tricks.

"I'm pretty sure. We exchanged gifts, but not like this. It's nice."

"Yeah, it is." Brian nodded. "It's the best Christmas that I've ever had."

"You'd better say that," Justin teased. "This is definitely my best Christmas. Not only do I get to spend it with you and Gus, but in a few months, our baby will finally be born and I can finally stop waiting."

"Did you pick out a name for her yet?" Brian asked.

"No. Honestly, I've been so busy lately with work and school that I haven't given it much thought in awhile."

Brian shrugged. "That's okay, I know you'll come up with something eventually."

"Maybe I'll name her Debbie," Justin joked. "Debbie Taylor-Kinney."

"No way in hell are you naming our daughter Debbie," Brian said, laughing. "Or Jennifer."

"You said that I got to choose the baby's name," Justin reminded him coyly.

"Not if you're going to name her Debbie or Jennifer." Brian shook his head. "If that's the case, I'll choose a name."

"How about Justine?"

"Now that's at least reasonable."

"No, it doesn't sound right to me."

"Have you asked Daphne if she has any suggestions?"

"I asked awhile back, but she didn't have any." Justin chewed on a piece of bacon thoughtfully. "Do you think that we should invite her over for New Year's?"

Brian threw up his hands. "If you want to. I'm sure she'd rather spend it with us that with her family."

"You won't mind though, that's it not just the five of us?"

"How many times do I have to tell you, Sunshine? As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

"All right. I read you loud and clear." Justin met Brian's gaze. "You know what else is coming up?" he asked.

"Our wedding anniversary?" Brian answered, smiling assuredly.

"Yeah! Can you believe how fast this year has gone by?"

"No, I can't."

"It's been the happiest year of my life."

"Mine, too."

"We did it!" Justin exclaimed. "We survived our first year of marriage. If we can survive that, we can make it to the end."

"Did you ever have any doubts?" Brian arched an eyebrow.

"Not really. Did you?"

"Not one."

They were just about to lock lips when the Brian's cell phone rang from the foyer. Brian sighed and pulled back. "I'll get it," Justin offered.

"No, I'll get it. You stay here and finish eating," Brian insisted.

"Whatever you say." Brian went into the foyer and fished in his coat pocket. "Yeah," he said when he finally found his phone.

"Brian? It's Jennifer."

"Hey, Jennifer." Brian looked back at Justin, who was preoccupied with the food. "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to call and say hi. Are you guys free tomorrow?"

"I think so."

"I have some presents for you guys and I wanted to make sure that Gus got his while he was in town," Jennifer explained.

Brian was silent for a moment. "You didn't have to do that," he said politely.

"Please, you and Gus are family now. You might as well just accept it: you're stuck with me for life." A smile tugged at the corner of Brian's lips. If only his mother were more like Jennifer. "So, is tomorrow good for you? If not, I can come any day that you guys aren't busy."

"Tomorrow's great, Jennifer. I'll see you then."

"All right. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas"

"Bye."

As Brian hung up, he heard Justin's footsteps behind him on the wood floor. "Who was that?" Justin asked, setting the tray down on the table.

"Your mother," Brian answered.

"Uh oh. What did she want?" Justin smiled apologetically.

"She wanted to know when she could come over to give us our presents."

"Oh. What did you tell her?"

"I said that she could come over tomorrow if she wanted. Is that okay?"

"Yeah. Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to get for her." He scratched is chin pensively.

"Don't worry. I've got it taken care of."

"You do?"

"Mmm hmm."

"What did you get her?"

"A weekend getaway to New Zealand." Brian grinned devilishly.

Justin frowned. "For her and Molly?" Even though he had accepted Tucker, he still did not want to think about his mom and Tucker going away together and having sex. It was too weird.

"No, for her and Tucker. Molly can come stay with us for the weekend like she did last time."

"I can't wait." Justin grabbed the tray and hurried into the kitchen. Sighing, Brian followed him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"What's really wrong?"

"You know that they're going to be having sex," Justin answered.

"So? She knows that when you and I go away, we have sex," Brian reminded him.

"I know, but she's my mom. The thought of her and my dad having sex is scary enough, but her and Tucker..."

"Then don't think about it. I thought you'd moved past all that."

"So did I."

Brian nodded. "Well, we managed to use up an hour of our free time up. Lindsay and Melanie will be here soon. I should go take a shower, I stink."

"I'll come with you," Justin said, perking up. "I haven't taken a shower yet either." His eyes twinkled with mischief. It made Brian's pulse quicken.

"All right, but we can't take too long. I have to run some errands."

"Like getting my present?" Justin asked hopefully.

"Yeah." Brian couldn't help but smile at Justin's childish exuberance. "Now come on, the munchers will be here soon."

They went upstairs and as soon they were in the bathroom, their clothes fell to the floor, no longer needed. They groped each other for a few seconds before Brian turned the water on hot and pulled Justin in with him, holding him tightly. The water streamed down on them as Brian slipped inside Justin, making him gasp pleasurably. "I love you," Brian whispered into Justin's ear, moving his hips slowly.

"Stay in me forever," Justin whispered back, eyes closed in ecstasy. He always wanted Brian inside of him, it was the only time he felt complete.

The sex was hot and passionate and by the time they both climaxed, they were breathing heavily, fogging up the glass of the shower walls. As they got out, Brian wrapped Justin up in his towel and kissed him over every inch of his skin. When he got around to Justin's backside, he flicked out his tongue. Justin clung tightly to his shoulders, his knees buckling from the pleasure washing over him. He couldn't help but remember when Brian had introduced him to rimming the first night they'd met.

Afterwards, they got dressed. They wrapped Gus's presents and hurriedly cleaned up the mess they'd left in the den. By the time they had finished, the door flew open and Gus ran in. He spotted Brian and threw himself into his arms. "Daddy!" Gus cried, his cheeks flushed with excitement.

"Hey, Gus!" Brian hugged him, rocking back and forth.

"Is there room in there for three?" Justin asked, grinning. "Or do I get my own special hug?"

"Plenty. Come on." Brian motioned for him to join in.

"Come on, Justin!" Gus said happily.

"You don't have to twist my arm," Justin joked. Gus and Brian squeezed him tightly.

Melanie and Lindsay came in and paused in the doorway. "I hope we aren't interrupting anything," Lindsay said, smiling amusedly.

"Just a group hug," Justin assured her. "Feel free to join us."

"No, thanks, I've been in the car forever and I need to hit the restroom."

"Me, too," Melanie said, balancing JR on her hip. The girls hurried up the stairs.

"Women," Brian muttered, rolling his eyes.

Gus settled in and put some presents that he had brought with him under the Christmas tree. "There's one for you and one for Justin," he said, grinning.

"Are they from Santa?" Brian asked innocently.

"No, they're from me." Gus laughed. "Santa already came here, Daddy."

"That's right, he did."

"You should've seen it, Gus. I made him a whole batch of cookies and left them on the counter with a glass of milk. When I woke up this morning gone," Justin added.

"Really?" Gus's eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Really. Then I looked under the tree and saw all the presents he left for us."

Lindsay came down the stairs. Brian pulled her off to the side. "Can you do me a favor?" he asked, shooting a cautious look behind him to make sure that Justin wasn't listening in.

"Of course. What do you want me to do?" Lindsay followed Brian's gaze and crinkled her eyebrows.

"I have to go get something. Could you distract Justin while I'm gone? I don't want him to be watching for me when I get back."

"A surprise?" she asked, grinning.

"Not that kind, but yes. So, will you help me?"

"Of course."

"Thanks." He kissed her forehead. "Get him in the kitchen if you can. Once he's cooking, he doesn't pay attention to much else."

"Okay."

Lindsay went into the den and gave Justin a hug. "Hey, I brought some cookie dough with me, would you like to help me bake them?" she asked innocently.

"Sure, I should probably get started on dinner soon, anyway. We always eat before five on Christmas. It's a Taylor family tradition."

"What's for dinner?"

"A little of everything." Justin laughed. "I went out and stocked up the fridge the other day. The snow was so bad last night I was starting to worry that we'd get snowed in."

"Sounds good." Lindsay fished in her bag for the cookie dough and followed Justin into the kitchen, winking at Brian on her way through.

As soon as they were out of sight, Brian grabbed the keys for Justin's Jeep and made for the door. "Can I come with you, Daddy?" Gus asked, running to the door.

"Sure. Let's get your coat on." He helped Gus into his coat and they hurried to the car. It was rather warm out for December, but Brian could still see his breath. Luckily, it was warm enough that the car engine started right away and he gingerly navigated the driveway, watching out for ice.

"Where are we going, Daddy?" Gus asked.

"To get a present for Justin," Brian answered, meeting Gus's gaze in the rearview mirror. "He's going to love it."

About ten minutes later, Brian pulled into the driveway of a nondescript house. "Stay here," he said, getting out of the car. The garage door was open and as soon as the man inside saw Brian, he smiled and dug into a box being warmed by a space heater.

"This the one you wanted?" the man asked, holding up a black puppy.

"That's the one." Brian handed him the money and took the pup, tucking him into his coat to protect him from the cold.

"What's that?" Gus asked, watching Brian with the eyes of a hawk.

"It's a dog," Brian answered, opening his coat enough for Gus to see. "For Justin." Gus smiled and leaned forward to pet it.

When they got home, Brian had Gus run into the house. "Tell Justin that I need him outside," he'd said. A few seconds later, Justin came out, hugging himself against the cold.

"Gus said you needed my help?" He looked around. "Did you go to the store?"

"You could say that. Come here." Brian used nodded toward the garage and Justin followed him.

"You needed my help in the garage?" he asked skeptically.

"Reach into my coat," Brian said, smirking.

"What for?"

"Just do it."

Sighing, Justin reached out and stuck his hand down the front of Brian's coat. "What is that!" he exclaimed, yanking his hand out.

"Your present," Brian answered, exposing the black puppy.

"Oh, my God," Justin cooed, grinning. "You got me a puppy?"

"A couple of years ago you asked me if you could have one and I told you no."

"What changed your mind?" Justin took the puppy from Brian and cradling it in his arms.

"You did." Brian smiled.

"But what about all of your expensive, imported Italian leather furniture? Your Mies van der Rohe chairs?

"We'll make sure he doesn't ruin them."

"_We _will? Not just me?"

"I thought he'd be good practice for the baby."

Justin felt his lips curl up into a smile as if of their own accord. "You care that much?"

"Do I even need to answer that?" Brian pulled him into his arms, careful not to crush the puppy.

"Yes, you do." Justin's grin grew devilish.

"Of course, I do. You, Gus, our daughter…that's what matters most to me."

"I love you, too." Justin stood on tiptoe and kissed Brian on the cheek.

"So, what are you going to name him?"

"I don't know. I'd call him Brian, but I already have one of those. What do you think?" he asked the dog, holding it out in front of him. "What's your name, huh?"

Terrified and angry, the puppy bit Justin's hand. "Ow!" Justin handed the puppy back to Brian and laughed.

"What's so funny?" Brian asked.

"I think I found the perfect name for him. Rage. Thank you." Justin pressed his lips against Brian's. Smiling, Brian took Justin's hand and they walked back into the house. Taking the next step into the new phase of their life together.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Michael, Emmett, and Ted celebrate Christmas with their families.


	95. Crush

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Mel and Linz drove down for Christmas.

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Four

Meanwhile, over at Debbie's house, Michael was talking to JR on speaker phone. "I love you, honeybun. Be a good girl okay?" he said.

"Hi, Daddy," JR said, her baby voice heart melting.

"She blew you a kiss," Melanie assured him.

"Really?" Michael grinned.

"Really. It was a big sloppy one."

"That's adorable! Can I talk to her some more?"

"Sorry Michael, but it's time for her nap. If I don't put her down now, she'll be up all night."

"I understand."

"We'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"All right. Bye Mel."

"Bye."

"Bye, honeybun."

"Bye, Daddy."

Michael couldn't stop smiling as he put his phone away. "Did they make it down here okay?" Debbie asked, wringing her hands nervously. She had been fretting all night, but thankfully the weather had miraculously cleared up. Somehow, that didn't stop her worrying.

"Without any problems," Michael answered.

"Good. Now when are they coming over here?"

"Tomorrow."

"I can't wait to see my granddaughter, she's so adorable."

"Me neither. I miss her so much."

"Only three more years," Debbie reminded him. "I'm sure Melanie will let you have the same visitation rights as Brian."

"I hope so. I don't just want to be some stranger. I want her to know who I am."

"She'll know who you are." Deb put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Melanie and Lindsay won't let her forget you."

"Thanks, Ma."

They went back into the kitchen and Debbie bent down to pull the ham from the oven. "Ben and Hunter are on their way, right?" she asked. After opening presents at home, Michael had gone over to Deb's early to help set up. Carl and Lance had gone to pick up Ben and Hunter in the car so they wouldn't freeze on the ride over.

"That's what they said. They should be here soon," Michael replied.

"Dinner's almost done, hopefully they don't miss it."

"They won't miss it, Ma," Michael assured her. "Now, what can I do to help?"

"Nothing, sweetie. Everything that I needed help with has already been done. You just go sit on the couch and relax. Open your present if you want."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. Go on." She shooed him off, smiling. She was so proud of the kind and considerate man she had raised. Always putting others before himself. Always looking out for her. "Yours is the one with the Captain Astro wrapping paper," Deb called. As if that needed saying.

Michael found the present and sat down. "I can't believe you managed to find more Captain Astro wrapping paper," he commented, admiring the artwork. "I thought for sure stuff like this would be hard to come by."

"I've had that for years, honey. I bought the store out back when they came out with it, remember? I think I still have half a dozen rolls upstairs in the attic."

"What are you going to do when you run out?"

"I'll make some more. It can't be that hard. Now open your goddamn present, you're making me antsy."

"Okay." Michael laughed. He delicately removed the wrapping paper without tearing it.

"Jesus Christ," Debbie muttered, rolling her eyes.

"I don't want to ruin it," Michael explained. He set the wrapping paper off to the side and opened the lid of the box within. He pulled out the tiny box and smiled up at his mother. "You got me flash drive," he said.

Debbie nodded. "I thought you could use it for your book. The man at the store assured me that that was the best one they had."

"Thanks, Ma." Michael gave her a big hug. "Now I can work on my book while I'm at work." Deb raised an eyebrow. "When I'm having a slump."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

"Ben's bringing our present for you," he explained.

"You didn't have to get me anything, Michael."

"I wanted to. You've given me so much over the years, I wanted to give you a little something back."

"You're a good boy, you know that?" She playfully smacked his cheek.

The door opened and Hunter plopped down on the couch, his Game Boy out and on. "Hey, Grandma," he called, not looking up from his toy.

"Hey, baby. I hope you brought your appetite with you, I've been cooking up a storm all morning."

"Of course I did. I've been with the family for a few years now, I know how things go."

"And you'd better not forget them either," Deb warned.

"Merry Christmas, Deb," Ben said, giving her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas, honey." She appraised him. "You're looking a little thin, sweetie, are you eating enough?"

"Leave him alone, Ma," Michael begged. "I make sure he eats three times a day."

"Just as long as someone's watching out for him." She smiled and went back to her task.

Lance helped Carl through the door. "I'm going to go upstairs," he announced to nobody in particular. "I have something I have to finish." He caught Michael's eye.

"Don't be too long. Supper will be ready in ten minutes," Debbie shot back.

"I'll be done by then." Smiling at Michael, Lance bounded up the stairs.

"He spends an awful lot of time up there," Michael noted. "What do you think he does?"

"Same thing you did when you were his age; jerk off," Debbie said simply.

"God." Michael's face flushed scarlet red and he buried his head in his hands.

"It's perfectly normal," Ben assured him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Totally," Hunter agreed.

"Like I needed to know that," Michael muttered.

Upstairs, Lance quickly wrapped the two comic books he'd lifted from his ex-boyfriend. After learning that Michael had a comic shop and doing a search online for rare comic books, Lance had called his ex-boyfriend and asked to see him. He'd said that he needed closure, one last goodbye fuck. Apparently Harris hadn't been scoring as much as he'd hoped after dumping Lance because he'd jumped at the opportunity. The truth was, Lance had gotten over Harris the moment he had met Michael and the last thing he wanted to do was fuck someone else, but Harris had something that he wanted and he would stop at nothing to get it. He had lied to Debbie and told her that he was going to the library to research something for a paper. Instead, he'd followed the familiar streets to Harris's house.

Immediately after the sex, Harris had dozed off, snoring lightly. It was what he had done every other time they had made love––like clockwork. Lance had quietly gotten out of bed and gone into Harris's closet. When they'd first started going out, Harris had proudly shown Lance his collection of comic books––most of them rare and unopened. Digging through the shoe boxes that housed them, Lance found the two that he was looking for_. The Amazing Spider-Man_ #1 and _The X-Men_ #2. Harris wouldn't even know they were missing, and by the time he realized, it would be too late. Normally, Lance wouldn't steal from anyone else, he wasn't crazy, but Harris had cruelly broken his heart and this was the ultimate payback. Michael could sell the comics and make a small fortune. The sad thing was, Lance knew that even with the trinkets, Michael would never love him like he wanted him to. It was just something he had to accept.

Lance came down with the package and gave it to Michael. "I got these for you," he said, smiling shyly.

"You didn't have to do that," Michael assured him.

"We're brothers now," Lance reminded him. "Now go on and open it."

"Okay." Michael tore the paper off and gasped. _"The Amazing Spider-Man_ #1 and _The X-Men_ #2." His mouth dropped open. "I've been looking for these for years! They're worth a fortune, how did you get these?"

"A friend of mine owed me a favor," Lance lied, shrugging it off. "He said that these would fetch a pretty penny."

"Thank you!" Michael threw his arms around Lance. "How can I ever thank you!"

"You just did." Lance closed his eyes and imagined Michael holding him like he was at that moment, making love to him gently.

Debbie came into the room and cleared her throat. "I hate to break up your brotherly love, but it's time to eat."

"Okay, Ma." Michael pulled away and followed the others into the kitchen. Lance hung back for a second, feeling heady. Michael had been so close and their skin had been touching. He could feel his erection straining against his underwear. "Are you coming?" Michael asked, watching him.

"Yeah." Lance pulled himself together and sat between Carl and Deb. He smiled at both of them and took the bowl of mashed potatoes that Carl offered him.

After dinner, Michael gave Debbie her present. "I hope you like it," he said. "It took me a really long time to pick it out and I think it suits you perfectly."

"What the hell is it? "Debbie jokingly asked. She opened the box and pulled out a rainbow colored curly wig. "Oh, Michael," she gasped, holding her hand to her chest. "I love it! Thanks, honey!" She gave him a hug. "It's wonderful. I'm going to be the envy of Liberty Avenue."

"Try it on," Ben suggested. "I want to get a picture.

"Give me a second." Deb pulled off her red curly wig and handed it Carl for safekeeping. She slipped the new wig on and grinned. "How do I look?"

"You look great," Michael assured her, a tear in his eye. He had never seen his mother look more beautiful.

"I look hot!" Debbie shrieked, looking at herself in the mirror.

"Yes, you do," Carl agreed, licking his lips.

"Be good, Carl," Deb teased. "Now, who's next?"

* * *

Emmett giggled hysterically. "Stop it!" he cried as Calvin continued to tickle him. "Stop it!" Tears from laughing too much spilled down his cheeks.

"Why should I?" Calvin asked, grinning wickedly. "You're loving every minute of it!"

"I have to check on the food! You don't want it to get burnt, do you?"

"No." Calvin ceased his tickling and kissed Emmett's stomach. "Don't be gone too long."

"I won't," Emmett promised, rolling out of the bed. He looked down at the floor and frowned. "Where the hell are my clothes?"

After opening their presents, Emmett and Calvin had went into the bedroom and made love a couple of times. They had ripped their clothes off and jumped right into bed. Their apartment building was pretty much empty. Most people had gone to their families' houses for the holiday. Now, Emmett crawled around on his hands and knees looking for his clothes. "Need some help? "Calvin asked, laughing.

"Where did you hide them?" Emmett asked, arching a suspicious eyebrow.

"I don't know." Calvin laughed. "Maybe they're under here." He patted the blanket.

"Fine, I'll just go check on the food naked, see if I care."

Emmett went into the kitchen and peered into the oven. The chicken hadn't even been cooking for an hour yet, but it looked mostly done. He estimated that he had just enough time to cuddle with Calvin for a bit before the chicken had to come out. He went back into the bedroom and pulled the blankets up to his chin. "It's too bad that your parents couldn't make the trip up, I was looking forward to taking your mom shopping," he said.

"I'm sure she would've loved that."

"Your dad would have."

"What about your dad?" Calvin asked.

"Why would my dad care if I gave your mom a makeover?" Emmett knit his brow.

"No." Calvin rolled his eyes. "I mean, is your dad going to make it up here?"

"Oh." Emmett smacked his forehead. "No. I was really hoping he would, but his doctor doesn't think it's a good idea for him to be traveling right now."

The week before, Thomas had fallen down the stairs in the middle of the night. Thankfully, the night-duty nurse had been there and gotten him to the hospital. In the end, Thomas was released with a broken hip. Emmett had been prepared to be on the next flight out to Hazelhurst, but Thomas had begged him to stay home, insisting that he was fine. Grudgingly, Emmett had obeyed his father's wishes, but not before calling his sister Pandora. The conversation had started out awkward, but by the end, they were crying together about how much time they'd lost, and Pandora promised to keep an eye on their father.

"He's okay though, right?" Calvin asked.

"As far as I know, he's fine. Pandora said she'd call if anything else happened."

"I can't believe he fell down the stairs."

Emmett shook his head sadly. "This is exactly why I wanted him to come and live with us. A nurse can only do so much. What about the times when no one's there?" He felt tears prickling in his eyes but refused to let them fall. There was no reason to cry.

"When he's better, we won't give him a choice," Calvin said softly, kissing Emmett's shoulder.

"Yeah, that'll go over well with him." Emmett scoffed.

"Once he sees how upset you are, he won't be able to tell you no."

"Thank you," Emmett whispered, resting his head on Calvin's chest.

"For what?"

"Everything. We've been through a lot this last year and no matter what, you always stuck by me."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else."

They were just about to kiss when Emmett's cell phone beeped. "Oh, time to get started on the potatoes," he said cheerily. He looked down at his naked body and turned to Calvin. "Can I have my clothes back now? I really don't feel like cooking in the nude."

"Okay," Calvin said grudgingly. He reached under the blankets and handed Emmett his clothes. "But I think you'd make a cute naked chef." Emmett smiled but didn't say anything about his previous career as a naked waiter. Maybe leaving his clothes off could be fun.

* * *

Ted opened the door to the condo and threw his coat onto the sofa. "I'm sorry you had to sit through that," he said, shaking his head. They had gone to see Ted's mother for Christmas dinner. While she had been a kind host, she had grilled poor Blake with questions. They had only met one other time: at the wedding and there hadn't been time for them to actually talk. She had been curious how Blake had met her son, but Ted had hastily jumped in and told her the story. Of course, he had left out the part about the G.H.B. His mother wouldn't have liked that too much. If she'd known that Blake was responsible for the coma that Ted had gone into after overdosing on G.H.B., Margaret would have made Blake feel worse than he already did.

"It was fine. I thought your mother was nice," Blake replied, setting the plate of cookies that Ted's mother had insisted they take home down on the counter. "I'm kind of disappointed that we haven't seen her since the wedding. I feel like I hardly know her."

"She is nice," Ted agreed. "And she loves you to death."

"She does?" Blake grinned. "I think that's the first time that someone's mother has loved me to death."

"How could she not?" Ted gave Blake a quick peck on the cheek.

"Why don't we see her more?"

Ted shrugged. "I guess it's because even though I know she's come to terms with my sexuality, I feel that she still doesn't want to be too involved in it. Not like Deb. I could never see my mother marching at a Pride parade or anything. Still, I'm glad that she didn't turn her back on me. I couldn't imagine that."

"You have no idea what that's like," Blake agreed, frowning. "You're so lucky."

"I am. But not just because I have a loving mother and great friends."

"What else do you have?" Blake asked, smiling.

"A wonderful partner that loves me every bit as much as I love him. Not only does he look after me, but he also looks after so many other people. He's the kindest person I know."

"Stop." Blake blushed. "You make me sound like some kind of saint or something."

"You are."

Blake met Ted's gaze. "I'm hardly a saint. I just do my part to help others like they helped me."

"Whatever." Ted laughed. "Now why don't you go open your present? We didn't get around to it before we went over to my mom's. And I can't wait to see your face when you see what I got for you." Ted disappeared into the bedroom and came back in with a big box.

"Okay." Blake eyed the box warily.

"Go on," Ted urged, handing it over. Blake sat on the couch. "You're going to love this!"

"Oh," Blake gasped as he saw the DVDs that Ted had bought for him. "You got me the complete series!"

"I know how you hate watching the re-runs because of the editing," Ted explained. "I thought it was about time you got the real deal."

Blake jumped off of the couch and hugged Ted fiercely. "Thank you!" he cried, kissing Ted. "I love it."

"I'm glad. Why don't you pop it in? We can watch it together. It can't be too bad if you like it."

"We will," Blake promised. "But first, I have a Christmas present for you."

"I'm scared," Ted joked. "The last time you gave me a present, I almost cried."

"Well, I hate to disappoint you, but you're not going to cry this time," Blake assured him. "It's just a little something I found when I was out the other week."

"I don't care how big it is. Any gift from you is a big deal."

"Wait and see." Blake handed Ted a small jewelry box. "Open it."

Ted lifted the lid off the box and smiled. "I love it." He pulled out the little pendant and looked at it more closely. "Saint Theodore of Amasea."

"He was a Greek military saint," Blake explained. "And if there's anybody I know who's a saint, it's you."

"Thank you. It's the best present I've ever gotten." Ted squeezed him tightly and leaned down so that his mouth was by Blake's ear. "I'm no more of a saint than you are," he whispered.

"You're the closest thing to one I know," Blake replied. Ted closed his eyes and smiled.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Lindsay's mother calls and asks to see her and Gus.


	96. Mother's Love

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Mel and Linz and their family came home to Pittsburgh for Christmas.

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Five

Melanie sat in Michael's living room, watching JR walk around. Michael had baby proofed the room the night before, insisting that all it took was one second and Jenny Rebecca could end up hurt. Melanie didn't have the energy to argue. She was still exhausted from the drive the day before and the fact that JR had kept her up half the night crying. "You can take her for the week," Melanie said, yawning.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Michael replied, grinning. "I want to spend some quality time with her. Make memories. Now that's she walking and talking a bit, I want her to get to know me better."

"You have fun with that. When she's up all night crying and you don't get an hours' sleep, don't call me," Mel teased.

"She'll be fine," Ben assured both Michael and Melanie. "I'm sure she just needs to get used to going back and forth."

Michael watched JR for a second. "Her birthday is coming up soon. Do you and Linz have anything planned?"

"You mean are we having a party?" Melanie smiled. "Of course we are. Jenny Rebecca is only going to turn two once. Why not celebrate it?"

"Are going to have it here or back home?"

"We just assumed that we'd be having it here." Melanie shrugged.

"No. It's not fair to you and Linz that you're always driving or flying back here. We'll come to you this time," Michael said with finality.

"If you say so, but it's hardly an imposition. Lindsay is always looking for an excuse to come back here. Honestly, I don't think she'll ever be as happy in Canada as she is here."

Ben frowned. "Are you guys planning on moving back here?" he asked. He knew that it would make Michael a lot happier, since he'd missed JR's first steps and words.

"Not yet," Mel answered. "We've discussed it thoroughly and we decided that it was best to stay put for the time being. When we were here last time, we told Brian and Justin that we'd be back when things changed. We're sticking to our guns. Neither one of us wants to live in a country where our kids could get taken away from us because we're gay."

"We understand." Ben took her hand and squeezed it. "You have to do what's best for your kids. Nobody can fault you for that."

"We all want what's best for Gus and Jenny Rebecca," Michael iterated. "And if that means not seeing you guys every day, then I guess that's what we have to do."

Melanie nodded. "I know it's been hard on you being so far away from JR and everything. If only things would get better. We'd be back in a heartbeat."

"They will be. If we're patient, things will change," Ben promised.

"I wish I had your confidence." Mel laughed dryly. "I can't help but feel that as long as there are straight people, we'll always be ousters."

"You sound like Brian," Michael interjected.

"You have to admit that he does have some goods points."

"That's not the Mel I know and love."

"Don't worry, I'm still me. I've just lost all my faith in the government."

The front door opened and Debbie rushed in, throwing her coat and scarf aside. "Hey, Melanie!" she cried, holding her arms out wide.

"Deb!" Melanie was squished by Deb's tight hug. "How are you?"

"I'm doing great, honey. How are you?"

"Tired." Melanie ran a hand through her close cropped hair. "Jenny had some trouble going to bed last night."

"How did that go over with Brian and Justin?"

"They didn't say anything. I doubt they even heard. They were too busy in their bedroom to notice anything else."

"That's my boys." Debbie spotted JR and her grin widened. "Hey , baby! How are you?"

Jenny looked over at Deb and smiled. With a little nudge from Michael, she ran over and was smothered with kisses from her grandmother. Melanie took the camera out of her coat pocket and snapped a picture. "That's one for the photo album," she announced.

"You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen!" Debbie cried, gently rocking JR back and forth. "You got the best bits of your parents. You're going to be quite the heartbreaker when you get older, missy."

"Ugh, I do not even want to think about that," Melanie said, sighing. "Can't she just stay this age forever?"

"I wish," Michael replied. "She's so adorable."

"You're goddamn right she is," Debbie exclaimed, winking at Michael. "Hey, where's Lindsay?" she asked, noticing for the first time that someone was missing from the group.

Melanie took a deep breath. "Lindsay is visiting with her mother, she'll be back in a bit. You know, for the life of me, I can't figure out why she even bothers, but she won't listen to me."

"Mel, sweetie, that's her mother. How can you expect her to just turn her back on the woman who gave her life?" Deb asked softly.

"If she was a good person, Deb, I'd agree with you. But all that woman does is put Lindsay down and parade Lynette and her newest husband around like they're the best thing in the world. She's still upset that Linz and I got back together because now there's no way she can try to hook her up with another man."

"I understand your frustration, sweetie, but what can you do? Some people just can't come to terms with it."

"I just don't want to see Lindsay get hurt again. Every time she comes back from seeing her mother, she's upset. And all it does is piss me off and make me want to go over there and set her straight."

Ben cleared his throat loudly. "Tea anyone?" he asked, standing up.

"Yes, please," Melanie said, taking a deep, steadying breath. "I need something to calm me down. Lack of sleep makes me bitchy."

"Bitchier," Michael muttered under his breath.

"I know what you're saying," Debbie assured her. "I got pretty cranky when Michael was going through his terrible twos."

"Somehow, I can't ever picture you cranky," Mel said, laughing.

"You don't spend enough time with me." Deb patted Melanie's shoulder. "And all you can do for Lindsay is be there for her when she needs you. She could never turn her back on her parents because she doesn't have a hateful bone in her body."

"That's what I love most about her," Melanie confessed. "It's what drew me to her in the first place."

Ben came back in the tea. "Here you go," he murmured, handing one mug to Mel and the other to Debbie.

"Thanks," Melanie said, holding the mug between her hands to warm them.

"Thanks Ben."

"You're welcome." Ben went and sat next to Michael on the couch. Jenny Rebecca had climbed out of Debbie's lap and was crawling around the coffee table. Michael kept an eagle eye on her.

"So, what else is new with you guys? "Melanie asked, looking around.

"I've just been working my ass off at the diner as always," Deb replied. "Not that I mind. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have that job. Carl and Lance would drive me crazy!"

"I'll bet." Mel laughed politely.

"I've been working on my book," Michael answered, folding his hands together.

"How's that coming along?"

"Great. I just finished the chapter where you and Linz asked me to be JR's father."

Melanie smiled. "I'm sure you loved writing that chapter."

"I finished that one in no time. It's funny how well I can remember all the details."

"It's unlikely you'd forget something like that," Ben asserted. "You were so happy that day."

"I always wanted a baby," Michael reminded them. "I was so glad that I was finally getting one."

"Well, I can't wait to read it," Mel said encouragingly. "I'm always looking for something to read when I can't sleep at night."

"I still can't believe that my son is going to be a published author," Debbie mused. "Do you know how many people want what you have?"

"Lots?" Michael guessed. "I keep worrying that the publisher will decide to drop my book."

"Why would he do that?"

Michael shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because my book is about being gay."

"That didn't stop them from publishing my first book," Ben reminded him.

"Yours wasn't as out there as mine is. Anybody can get HIV anymore," Michael argued.

"I think what you're doing is great," Melanie interjected. "Let them know that we're here and that no matter what they say or do to us, we will survive."

"Can I quote you?" Michael asked, grabbing a pen and writing down what Melanie had just said on a napkin.

"If you want." Melanie chuckled. "And don't worry, I'm not going to charge you for it."

"Thanks."

Debbie finished her tea and set the mug down on the coffee table. "I've been thinking of taking a vacation," she announced.

"You have? Where?" Michael asked, astounded.

"Well, I've been working so much at the diner recently, wearing myself out. Now that Lance has his own job and Carl is back to work, I can afford to take some time off and relax."

"That's great, Ma!"

"So, I was thinking, maybe I'd come up for a weekend and see you and Lindsay," Debbie said to Melanie. "If that's okay with you, of course."

"Sure. We'd love to have you, Deb. Lindsay's always saying that she misses your vivacious personality."

"She said that?" Debbie beamed. "I'm flattered."

"When do you want to visit?"

Debbie chewed her lip pensively. "As soon as possible. If I don't get a break soon, I'm going to go out of my goddamn mind." She clapped a hand over her mouth and shot a worried glance over at JR.

"Don't worry, she's not talking that well yet," Mel assured her. "Besides, you should hear me after a long day at the office." She laughed. "I could put a sailor to shame."

"I doubt that, honey. Anyway, I'll give it some thought and let you guys know. I don't want to surprise you."

"Please, we'd welcome a surprise. That's the bad part about living in Canada, the only person we know there is my cousin, and I hardly ever see her. I miss having you guys show up at the door unexpectedly."

Sighing, Melanie looked back over at Jenny Rebecca as she climbed up into Michael's lap.

* * *

As soon as Lindsay caught sight of her mother, she felt her stomach knot up. She and her mother didn't have the best relationship, mostly because her mother wouldn't accept that her darling daughter liked pussy and not cock. It also didn't help matters that her parents had been more than happy to shell out the money for her sister Lynette's weddings but when it had come to her wedding to Melanie, they had suddenly been strapped for cash. And then, the last time that Mel and Linz has split, Lindsay's parents had allowed her and Gus to come and stay with them, but when Nancy had tried to set Lindsay up with a man, that had been the end of it. Just thinking about it made her blood boil––and it took a lot to piss Lindsay off.

Unconsciously tightening her grip on Gus's hand, Lindsay slowly approached the table, preparing herself for the news of Lynette's latest failed marriage. "Hey, Mom," she said, keeping her voice light.

"Lindsay." Nancy stood and gave her daughter an awkward hug. "Hey, Gus!"

"Hi, Grandma." Gus smiled as Nancy knelt down and tickled his stomach.

"I'm glad that you came. I was afraid you wouldn't."

"Why would that be?" Lindsay asked, her tone icy.

"I don't know." Nancy let out a forced laugh. "I've missed you, honey."

"I'm surprised that you even thought of me. Isn't Lynette having some kind of catastrophe with her new husband? Or is she engaged again? She's been engaged and married so many times now I've lost count."

Nancy cleared her throat. "I didn't come here to talk about Lynette," she said, sipping her water.

"Well, that's a first. The last time we saw each other, all you could talk about was Lynette." Lindsay helped Gus out of his coat and set it down next to hers. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Believe it or not––you."

"Me?"

"Yes. Since you and Melanie moved away, we hardly ever talk. I miss you." She said Melanie's name as if it were a curse.

"So, you've missed me. Are you ready to accept that I'm a lesbian? That I'm married to a woman and have two beautiful children with her?" Lindsay arched her eyebrow. "Because if you're not, you can say goodbye to Gus and I right now. And we won't be coming back."

Gus, sensing the tension, looked up at his mother, but she didn't notice. She was glaring at her own mother. Nancy caught Gus's eye and smiled reassuringly. "If that's what it takes to have you and Gus in my life, then yes."

"I'm sorry, my hearing must be off today. Did you just say yes?"

"Yes," Nancy repeated.

"I don't know what to say." Lindsay laughed in disbelief.

"After what happened last time––when you moved out––you told me that you were a lesbian and nothing would change that..."

"It's the truth."

"I don't..." Nancy paused. "I don't doubt it, honey."

Lindsay shook her head. "I don't understand you," she said. "After all these years, you just suddenly decide to be okay with Mel and I?"

"It's not like that. As I way saying, you told me that you were a lesbian and that nothing would ever change that. Well, it got me thinking. You deserve to be happy and if that happens to be with a woman, then...well, I guess I'll just have to learn to accept it. It might take me awhile, but I know I can do it. Do you know why?"

"Why?" Lindsay asked, her heart racing in her chest.

"Because you are my daughter and I love you."

"I love you, too, Mom." Lindsay clasped her mother's hand. She could not believe that after all the trouble she had had with her mother about Melanie, it was finally over. _Well, it's a work in progress_, she corrected herself. "So," she said. "Where's Daddy?"

Nancy frowned. "He's visiting Lynette and her new husband Carlos in England," she replied.

"How many times can she get married before she sees the bigger picture?"

"I have no idea," Nancy, admitted. "But I wish she'd just stop already, your father and I are going to be bankrupt if she keeps this up."

"Yeah." Lindsay felt a pang of hurt.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," Nancy apologized, seeing Lindsay's hurt expression. "You don't need it rubbed in your face."

"No I don't. But thanks for caring. You don't know how much it means to me."

After lunch, Lindsay and Gus said goodbye to Nancy and went to pick up Melanie from Michael's house. She rang the doorbell and grinned as Debbie opened it. "Come here, honey!" Deb squealed, hugging Lindsay tightly.

"It's so good to see you, Deb." Lindsay kissed her cheek.

"You, too! Mel told me that you miss my vivacious personality." Debbie waggled her eyebrows. She leaned down and kissed Gus's forehead.

"I told her not to tell you that," Linz admitted, blushing.

"Oh hell, a compliment's a compliment. Come on, let's go inside. It's fucking freezing out here."

They rounded the corner and stepped into the living room. "Hey, Linz!" Michael called, waving.

"Hi, guys." She nodded at both Michael and Ben.

"Hey, honey." Melanie crossed the room and pressed her lips against Lindsay's. "How did things go with your mother?"

"Better than I expected." Lindsay set her coat down and took a seat next to Melanie.

"What, your mom only talked about Lynette until the food arrived?" Mel asked facetiously.

"Actually, she barely even talked about Lynette."

"Then what did you guys do, eat in silence?"

"We talked."

"That's new." Melanie chuckled.

"She's ready to accept us."

Melanie's head whipped around. "She said that!"

"More than once. She said that after what happened the last time I lived there, she realized that if she wanted to keep Gus and I in her life, she had to accept you."

"I must be dreaming," Mel muttered.

"No, you're wide awake." Lindsay smiled encouragingly.

"So what, now I'm part of the family?"

"Well, it's going to take some time. She needs to get used to the idea, but she's willing to give it a shot. And I think we should give her a chance. If she blows it, then I'm done."

"Whatever makes you happy."

"We're having dinner over there on Friday. If that's okay with you?"

"We'll be there."

Lindsay crushed her lips against Melanie's. "Thank you," she whispered over and over.

"Can you believe this is finally happening!"

"At last." It wasn't a certainty, but the idea of acceptance was enough for both of them.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin celebrate Christmas with Jennifer.


	97. Family Gathering

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Lindsay's mother asked to meet her for lunch and invited her and Melanie over for a reconciliatory dinner.

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Six

Justin sprinkled more pepper into the sauce and stirred. The tantalizing aroma wafted up to his face, making his mouth water. Jennifer, Molly, and Daphne were coming over for dinner in a couple of hours and he was trying to make the perfect tomato sauce. "That smells good," Brian said softly, hugging him from behind. Justin relaxed into his arms, feeling safe.

"Thanks. I want it to be just right," Justin replied, sampling the sauce. It tasted fine to him. "Here, you try." He held the spoon out toward Brian to taste.

"It's great," Brian assured him. "It's the best tomato sauce I've ever had."

"You're just saying that because you know that if you don't, I'll stop having sex with you," Justin teased.

"Well if that's the case, then this really is the best tomato sauce I've ever had." He laughed and kissed the back of Justin's neck.

Lindsay came into the room and stopped. "What smells so good?" she asked, looking around.

"It's Justin's sauce," Brian replied.

"If that's what we're having for dinner, I can't wait."

"It is," Justin confirmed. "I'm using a recipe my mom uses. Hopefully she likes it."

"She will," Lindsay insisted. "Maybe I can take it with me tomorrow when Mel and I go to dinner at my mother's. I'm sure she'd love it, too."

"I still can't believe you're going over there," Brian said, shaking his head. "She just woke up one day and decided to be okay with that fact that you're a carpet muncher not a cock sucker?"

"She's not okay with it. What she said is that she wants to try. I don't want to lose her and I certainly don't want Gus to lose his grandmother, so I have no choice but to at least give her a chance."

Brian exhaled loudly. "Well it's your life, I'm not going to tell you what to do."

"I appreciate that. You'll be here for me if things don't work out, right?" she asked.

"Always," Brian relented, embracing her. "Although, I still think you should've lied and said that we were dating. Your parents used to love me, until they found out that I fucked Lynette's boyfriend."

"Can you blame them?" Lindsay smiled wryly. "I remember how upset Lynette got. She was going to kill you."

"If wasn't my fault that what's his face secretly liked dick. I just gave him what he wanted."

"You're talking about that again?" Melanie opened the fridge and grabbed a water bottle. "That story's almost as old as you are."

"Don't forget Mel, we're practically the same age," Brian reminded her.

"Yeah, but I'm not afraid of getting old." Mel smiled sweetly and left.

Justin stirred the sauce again and turned the heat down. "I'm going to go check on the puppy," he announced. "Hopefully he didn't ruin another box. I cannot wait until he's potty trained."

"I'll come with you," Brian offered, following Justin into the laundry room. They had decided that since it was the dead of winter and Rage would freeze to death outside, they would keep him in the laundry room where he could do the least amount of damage. Gus was lying on the floor, letting the puppy walk on his stomach.

"Everything okay?" Justin asked. Gus had taken to the puppy immediately, spending hours in the laundry room watching him. Justin often came in and sat with him, showing him how to feed and bathe the puppy.

"Yeah. He licked my face!" Gus said excitedly.

"He did! Well, you know what that means, don't you?" Gus shook his head. "That means he likes you. Whenever you come to visit, he'll be ready to play with you."

Gus looked up at Justin excitedly. "Can he sleep in my room with me?"

"When he gets bigger, sure. But right now, he's still really little. And he's not house trained yet, we don't want him making a mess in your bed, do we?"

"No." Gus giggled as Rage brushed his chin with his cold, wet nose. "That tickles!"

"He loves that dog," Brian noted, smiling. "Maybe I should've gotten him one, too. That way you two don't have to share."

"That's okay, we can share Rage. Just as long as I don't have to share you with anybody else, I'm fine."

"I'm all yours," Brian promised. "For as long as you want me."

"Well that will be a long time, just you know."

"I know." He leaned up and kissed the tip of Brian's nose.

They went back into the kitchen. Lindsay had taken Justin's place at the stove, stirring the sauce. "Linz, I told you that you didn't have to anything," Justin reminded her.

"I know, but I want to. I don't to feel like I'm freeloading."

"Oh, please. When I came and stayed with you and Mel temporarily, I didn't do anything to help you."

"You were a teenager, most teenagers these days don't help out."

"Fine, if you want to do something, you can set the table."

"Done." Lindsay reached into the cupboard and pulled out seven plates. "This should be enough, right?" she asked.

"Yeah. Unless my mom brings Tucker, but I doubt she will." Lindsay nodded and carried the plates into the dining room.

"What can I do?" Brian asked.

"You can keep me company."

"Or?"

"Or you can make the salad."

"Whatever you say dear." Brian smiled facetiously and started making the salad.

The doorbell rang. I'll get it," Justin called, motioning for Brian to take over the sauce. Wiping his hands off, he hurried into the foyer. Whoever was at the door was a little early, but he didn't care. He hoped it was Daphne. It had been awhile since they'd seen each other and he really missed her. He opened the door and grinned. "Hey, Daph!"

"Hey!" Daphne leaned in to hug him, but her belly got in the way.

"Wow, you've gotten so big," he muttered, his jaw dropping open. He had never seen Daphne with even an ounce of fat on her body and just the sight of it was mind blowing.

"Gee, thanks," Daphne teased, shirking off her coat. "Where can I put this?"

"Here, I'll take it." Justin took the coat and hung it up in the closet. "So how have you been, it feels like forever since I've seen you."

Daphne smiled. "I've been okay. You know, feeling nauseous all day every day, hardly getting any sleep at night, having to use the bathroom every fifteen minutes. But other than that, I'm great. How about you?"

"Couldn't be better. Brian and I are happier than we've ever been. You'll never guess what he got me for Christmas."

"What?"

"A puppy!" Justin laughed.

"Wow! I remember you telling me that he wouldn't let you have a puppy because he didn't want his furniture to get ruined. What do you think changed his mind?"

"Me. He can't tell me no. It's part of the reason our marriage is going so well," he joked. "But seriously, did you ever in a million years think that this would happen? That Brian and I would get married, move into a palace together, get a puppy, and decide to have a baby?"

"I always hoped you would," Daphne assured him. "I knew how happy it would make you."

Brian came into the room. "And how is my beautiful daughter?" he asked, crouching down so that he was level with Daphne's stomach. "And her ravishing mother?"

"She's great, couldn't be happier. In fact," Daphne winced. "She's kicking."

"Really! Can I feel?" Justin asked excitedly. He never got sick of feeling the baby kick.

"Be my guest." Daphne laughed. "It's just right of my belly button."

"Okay..." Justin put his hand near her belly button and waited. "Oh! I felt it."

"Here?" Brian asked.

"Here." Justin grabbed Brian's hand and steered it over to the baby's kicking foot. "Do you feel that?"

"Wow. That is...an odd sensation."

"Oh come on, is that all you have to say?"

"Fine. It was wonderful." His lips tugged into a grin. "It was great." Brian leaned over and pressed his lips against Justin's.

"Now that's more like it."

Lindsay and Melanie came down the stairs. "Oh, my God Daphne, you look so beautiful!" Lindsay exclaimed, grinning broadly.

"I do?" Daphne blushed.

"Positively gorgeous," Melanie assured her. "In fact, if I wasn't happily married, I'd be tempted to have a go at you."

"Thanks." Daphne laughed. "If there's one thing that makes a girl feel unattractive, it's being pregnant."

"Don't be ridiculous. There's nothing sexier than a pregnant woman," Mel said.

"Well it's nice to know that someone finds me attractive. Hey, can I talk to you two for a minute?" she asked, chewing her lip nervously.

"Sure." Lindsay smiled encouragingly and took Daphne's hand. Melanie followed behind them.

They went into the den where they would have a little privacy. "What's up?"

"I have a few more months until the baby's due," Daphne began.

"You must be so excited!"

"That's the thing: I'm terrified."

"Don't worry Daphne, I was terrified, too," Mel said reassuringly. "And it takes a lot to terrify me."

"It's just that I'm not good with pain, you know? I practically have a panic attack if I have to get my blood drawn. How am I going to make it through labor? I hear it hurts a lot."

"It does," Melanie agreed. "I remember when I went into labor with Jenny Rebecca, I was in so much pain I could barely stand it." Daphne gulped, her eyes wide.

Lindsay, picking up on Daphne's fear, jumped in. "It hurts, but it's worth it in the end, you'll see. After you see your daughter and hold her in your arms, you'll forget all about the discomfort you went through to bring her into this world."

"Really?" Daphne couldn't fight a small smile.

"Yes. But I don't recommend that you get the pain medication. It doesn't take all of the pain away, but it's better than nothing."

"Believe me, I will." She laughed. "Thank you, guys."

"Anytime. If you ever need anything, you just let us know, okay?"

"I will."

Justin came in. "Is everything okay?" he asked. If something was wrong with Daphne or the baby, he wanted to know.

"Everything's great," Daphne replied. "I just wanted to talk to Melanie and Lindsay about the labor pains. You know how I am."

"Yeah. That time senior year when we got blood drawn, you passed out when you saw the needle."

"I was so embarrassed!"

"Ah, forget it, that was years ago. And you don't have to worry, Brian and I will be right there with you when you go into labor. We won't let anything bad happen to you."

Melanie scoffed. "That's a comfort. I can't picture Brian in the delivery room. He wouldn't have the slightest idea of what to do."

"Well, if I need any pointers Mel, I'll give you a call," Brian said, startling them all. "You played the role of the dutiful husband when Lindsay was in labor." He smiled. "You could've fooled me."

"Someone had to do it. You were nowhere to be found," Melanie shot back, her tone sarcastic. "Actually, I take that back, we all knew where you were: at home fucking Justin." They were both silent for a second, glaring at each other. Finally, Melanie cracked and started to laugh, which set Brian off.

"I will never understand you two," Justin said, shaking his head. "You can't just be nice to each other, you have to bicker like an old married couple."

"That's how our friendship works," Melanie explained. "If we're nice to each other, it feels like we're in the Twilight Zone or something."

"What she said," Brian replied.

The doorbell rang again and Justin looked to Brian. "Well, aren't you going to answer it?" Brian asked.

"I guess." Justin dragged his feet as he made his way into the foyer. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door.

"Justin, honey," Jennifer said, smiling kindly.

"Hey, Mom." He leaned in and gave her a hug. "How are you?"

"Great. How are you?"

"Fantastic. Come on in." Jennifer stepped inside and Justin caught sight of his sister. "Oh, hey, Mollusk. I didn't know you were coming."

"Mom made me," Molly confessed.

"I'm glad she did. I've missed you."

"You, too." Molly smiled and followed her mother into the house.

Brian came into the foyer to greet Jennifer. "I'm glad you could make it," he said, smiling.

"Well that's a first," Jennifer teased.

"Grandma!" Gus cried, coming out of the laundry room.

"Hey, Gus!" Jennifer bent down and picked Gus up. "You're getting so big! Pretty soon you'll be as tall as your dad."

"Here's hoping," Brian murmured. "Dinner's almost ready. Justin used your tomato sauce recipe.

"He didn't?" Jennifer looked over at Justin. "If yours is better than mine, I will never share another recipe with you again."

"We wouldn't want that to happen," Justin teased. "Come on, let's go sit down."

"Hey, Mrs. Taylor," Daphne said, coming out. "It's good to see you again."

"You, too Daphne. And it's Jennifer."

"Jennifer."

Jennifer looked down at Daphne's belly. "You're due in a month or so, right?"

"Yeah, closer to two."

"You must be excited."

"I'm excited to go back to sleeping at night and not feeling sick all day long."

"Oh, I know exactly what you mean. I was so relieved when Justin was finally born. If I had to go through one more day of it, I was going to go out of my mind."

"That's good to know, Mom." Justin met Jennifer's gaze.

"Oh, honey, don't be like that. You know what I mean."

"Yeah." He turned to Brian. "Do you have the thing?"

"I do have the thing." Brian dug into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. "This is for you," He said, handing it to Jennifer. "Merry Christmas."

"What is this, my commission?" Jennifer opened the envelope haphazardly.

"Not quite."

"Then what...?" Jennifer's voice caught in her throat when she was the plane tickets. "You..."

"It's for you and Tucker," Justin explained. "We thought that you guys could use a real vacation."

Jennifer stared openmouthed at Justin for another second. "I don't know what to say," she managed.

"You don't have to say anything," Brian assured her. "Just go and have a fabulous time."

"What about Molly?"

"She's welcome to come and stay here. We'll find room for her somewhere."

"Thank you," Jennifer said to both Brian and Justin.

"You're welcome, Mom."

"Well, this certainly makes my gift look like a piece of shit."

"That's not possible." Justin followed his mother's gaze as she turned to pull the gift out of her purse.

"Merry Christmas."

Justin accepted the package and slowly opened it. "It's not a sex toy, is it?" he asked.

"Honey, I wouldn't buy a sex toy for myself, what makes you think I'd buy one for you?"

"Besides, we have plenty," Brian interjected. "So what the fuck is it?"

"Hold on, I can't get this corner."

"Give it to me." Brian grabbed the package and ripped it open. "There."

"Thanks." Justin took it back and pulled out the contents. "You gave us money?"

"I wasn't sure what to get you, so I thought it was best to let you two pick out what you wanted," Jennifer explained.

"Thanks, Mom." Justin gave Jennifer a quick hug.

"Thanks, Mom," Brian repeated, nodding.

"You're welcome." She looked down at the floor for a second. "Are you ready for the baby?" she asked.

"The nursery is all set up," Justin replied.

"He started working on it right after we moved in," Brian added.

Jennifer laughed. "He's always been like that. He never could let something go undone. I've always admired that."

"All right, I'm going to go get something to eat. Are you two coming?" Justin asked.

"In a minute."

"Is there something you want to talk to me about?" Brian asked.

"Actually there is. I just want to say thank you."

"For what?"

"For taking such good care of Justin. For making him happy."

"You don't have to thank me, Jennifer. I love him."

"I know you do. Now let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."

Brian watched Jennifer's retreating form for a second before joining her.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Melanie and Lindsay have dinner with the Petersons.


	98. Dinner

**Previously On Queer As Folk**: Lindsay met with her mother, who invited the girls over for a reconciliatory dinner.

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Seven

Melanie's heart started to pound in her chest as she and Lindsay approached the front door to the Petersons' mansion. Right before they'd left Brian and Justin's, Melanie had begun to panic, something that was completely foreign to her. Usually, she was always in control of her emotions, except for when she occasionally lost her tempter. Her stomach was twisted up into knots and her mouth was dry. Everything's going to be fine, she assured herself. The worst thing that can happen is you're proven right and you and Linz can go back to Brian and Justin's and move on with your lives. "Are you okay?" Lindsay asked, sensing Melanie's tension.

"I'm fine," Mel lied. "It's just cold out here." December in Pittsburgh was freezing, but not quite as freezing as it was in Toronto. If she had her way, Melanie would move somewhere nice and warm like Florida. If she never had to deal with winter weather again, it would be too soon.

"Tell me about it." Lindsay rang the doorbell and pulled her coat tighter against the cold chill. "It's like Antarctica out here." Her teeth chattered.

The front door opened and as soon as Nancy saw Lindsay, she smiled. "Hi, honey." She hugged her daughter and caught Melanie's eye over Lindsay's shoulder. Mel swallowed past the lump in her throat. If she blew things with Nancy and Ron, she would feel responsible for breaking Lindsay's heart again and that was just something she was not prepared to do. Melanie would do whatever it took to impress the Petersons...except go straight. There was nothing in the world that could convince her to do that."

"Hi, Mom."

"Hello, Mrs. Peterson," Meanie said jovially. She didn't know Nancy well enough to call her by her first name. Mrs. Peterson had never wanted much to do with Melanie and the feeling was entirely mutual. Anyone that would treat their daughter the way Nancy did was a cunt in Melanie's book and that was a title that stuck.

"Nancy, please. Welcome Melanie. It's so nice to have you."

"Thanks." Melanie shot Lindsay a quizzical look. Nancy was surely not acting like herself. Maybe she was serious after all. I guess I was getting myself all worked up over nothing.

"You didn't bring Gus?" Nancy peered out at them, a disappointed frown creasing her face.

"We thought it would be best to leave him with Brian," Lindsay explained. "This is supposed to be a couples' dinner after all."

"You're right, dear, I just wanted to see him again. He is the cutest thing I have ever seen." She saw Lindsay and Melanie shivering. "Now come on in, it's freezing out here. Of course, I'm sure you're used to it, I hear it's freezing in Canada this time of year."

"Thanks." They went into the house and Melanie gasped. "Your house is beautiful," she murmured. She had seen the Peterson mansion a couple of times, but never this close up. And they'd had it remodeled. It was astounding.

"Thank you. We call it home."

"Is Daddy back yet?" Lindsay asked. "I was hoping to see him before we go back home. Who knows when we'll be here again."

"He just got back this morning. He was so relieved that he didn't have to miss this. As soon as I told him that you had agreed to dinner, he jumped on the first available plane."

Nancy led them through the grand foyer into the dining room. The only houses Melanie had seen that could even compare to this one were Brian's and George Schickle's. She wished that one day, she could buy a house like this for Lindsay and the kids, even though she knew that it would never happen. Not unless she won the lottery. "I hope you like pot roast, Melanie," Nancy said, her tone sweet.

"I love it." It wasn't her favorite thing on the menu, but she wasn't about to do anything piss off Nancy. Lindsay gave her a grateful smile and sat down. Mel took the seat next to her and cleared her throat softly.

"Good. I want you to feel at home here. If you'd rather have something else, just let us know. I promise I won't hold it against you." She laughed and Melanie couldn't help but think that if she did voice her opinion, Nancy would hold it against her. And Lindsay.

"The pot roast is fine. Thank you."

"I'll be right back," Nancy announced, disappearing back the way they had come.

"Thank you," Lindsay said, heaving a sigh of relief.

"For what?"

"For not telling my mother that you hate pot roast. It means a lot that you want me to have this."

"I know." Melanie gave Lindsay's hand a tight squeeze under the table. "That's why I'm doing this."

Nancy came back with her husband, Ron. "Here he is," she sang. "All the way from England."

"Daddy!" Lindsay jumped up and ran to her father. She had always been a daddy's girl growing up and even though he had assisted in trying to hook her up with his business associate, she had still missed him. He had never been quite as callous toward her as her mother had, though Ron had never jumped to her defense when Nancy went on one of her tirades.

"Hey, sweetie." Ron kissed the top of Lindsay's head. "Are you doing well?"

"I'm doing great. Daddy, you remember Melanie."

"How are you, Melanie?" Ron extended his hand. Melanie shook it.

"I'm fine sir, thanks. How are you?"

"Couldn't be better, now that Lindsay's come back to us."

"Mom said you were in England visiting Lynette and her new husband?" Lindsay said.

"Don't remind me." The smile vanished from Ron's face.

"What's this one like?" Lindsay could only imagine what Lynette's new husband had done to warrant her father flying all the way to England.

"He's a son of a bitch," Ron growled. "That's what he's like. He's lucky I kept my anger in check and didn't punch his lights out. Your sister has really outdone herself this time." That was it, Ron and Nancy were mad at Lynette, that's why they had turned their affections to Lindsay. Melanie rolled her eyes.

"Dad, is everything okay?" Lindsay stared into her father's eyes, trying to find some hint in the inky depths. Had Lynette gotten herself into an abusive relationship? Even though she and her sister didn't always get along, Lindsay did not wish that on her. It had to be something pretty bad to get her usually even-tempered father so angry.

"Let's save this conversation for another time, hm? This is supposed to be a happy occasion," Nancy reminded them. "And I'm sure Melanie doesn't want to hear about this."

"Don't stop on my account," Melanie protested.

Ron nodded and sat next to his wife. "So Melanie, Nancy tells me that you're a partner in your new law firm?"

"That's right. I just got promoted. Although, I'm starting to think that all the hard work I've put in isn't worth all the hard work I'm putting in now. All I do is work, I'm exhausted. Between work and taking care of Jenny Rebecca, I hardly find a moment to myself, let alone time to spend with Linz." She wasn't sure, but she could have sworn that she saw Nancy's lips twitch into a satisfied smile.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ron said politely. "But obviously things aren't too bad if you're still together."

"Well, Lindsay has the patience and understanding of a saint."

"Oh, Mel." Lindsay smiled, blushing.

"She's always been the level-headed one," Nancy agreed. "When she and Lynette were little, Lindsay was always the one that kept her temper in check and went out of her way to please everybody else. Lynette on the other hand was the fiery one."

"Self absorbed," Lindsay muttered, muffling her voice behind her glass.

"What was that, dear?" Nancy asked.

"Nothing."

The food was brought in and they ate in silence for a few minutes, unsure of what to say. Melanie had never felt more uncomfortable in her whole life. Why had she let Lindsay talk her into doing this? Because you love her, Mel reminded herself. She caught Linz's eye and smiled. "Have you ever been to Canada?" she asked nonchalantly. It was all she could come up with.

"I've been there on business a few times," Ron replied. "But I never really got the opportunity to look around."

"It's beautiful. In fact, you guys should come and spend a weekend with Linz and I. We have a spare bedroom and one of us could show you around."

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Lindsay said under her breath. She could just picture the disaster that would occur if her parents came to spend a weekend with them. Knowing your daughter is a lesbian is one thing, but seeing it first hand...well, she couldn't exactly see her parents being comfortable with that.

Ron looked over at Nancy for a second. "We'd like that," he said. Taking a cue from her husband, Nancy smiled. Truthfully, she didn't want to go and if she could find an excuse to get out of it, she would definitely take it, but for the time being, it was best to just smile and play along.

"I've always wanted to visit the Royal Ontario Museum," she supplied.

"Oh, we've been meaning to go there with Gus," Lindsay said. "But it keeps getting put off because Mel's always working. But if you guys plan on coming to visit, I'm sure we could work out a time where all of us could go, right, Mel?"

"Right." Melanie smiled. "We'll make it happen."

"Great." Melanie could detect that under Nancy's sweet tones, she was not pleased with the idea of spending a weekend in the house of two lesbians. How did Lindsay ever turn out so sweet? Melanie wondered.

After dinner, Afair, the cook brought out a chocolate cake for dessert. "We had it specially made for this evening," Nancy declared.

"It looks delicious," Melanie commented. She was still keeping up the façade of blissful ignorance. For Lindsay's sake, she wasn't about to call Nancy out for being a homophobic cunt, even though it would have given her incalculable satisfaction. Ron on the other hand was fine. Melanie liked him. If only his wife were more like him.

"We should probably get going soon," Lindsay suggested. "We still have to drive all the way back to West Virginia tonight."

"Stay for a piece of cake," Nancy pleaded. "It's your favorite." She waved a plate with a piece of cake tantalizingly in front of Lindsay. "Oh, come on, you never could resist."

"All right," Lindsay yielded, grabbing the plate. "But when I need liposuction to remove all of the fat off my ass, I'll send you the bill."

"You could never be fat, honey," Nancy assured her. "It's not in the Peterson genes."

"Even if you were, you'd still be gorgeous," Melanie said, clasping Lindsay's hand on the tabletop. Nancy hurriedly downed her glass of wine, anything to purge her mind of the vision.

As they said their goodbyes, Melanie was tremendously relieved. She had survived dinner with Lindsay's not-so charming parents and her sanity was still intact. Now if only she could convince Lindsay that her mother's attempts at giving their relationship a chance was half-assed at best. "I think that went well," Lindsay said as they made their way through the bitter cold to the car. "Don't you?"

"Better than I expected," Melanie fibbed, getting into the car. She couldn't bring herself to shatter Lindsay's fantasy. Nancy would never be the kind of mother than Deb was––proud and supportive of her child. It sickened Mel to think that someone could feel that way about Lindsay.

"Well, we can tell Brian that he was wrong. I'm sure he'll love that."

"Yeah." Mel scoffed. "You know how much he loves to be shown up."

Melanie was about to start the car when Lindsay reached over and grabbed her hand. "I love you," she said meaningfully.

"I love you, too." Melanie leaned over the seat and kissed Lindsay. "My Shiksa goddess."

* * *

"That was really good, honey," Michael said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. Ben had made another wonderful dinner. Michael had never had been more full in his life, and with his mother, that was an accomplishment.

"Thank you." Ben smiled. He loved getting good praise from Michael. "What did you think?" he asked Hunter.

"It was all right." Hunter shrugged.

"Who knew that you could use tofu for so many different things?" Michael asked rhetorically.

Jenny Rebecca sat in her high chair, amusing herself with a spoon. "You like that, don't you, honeybun?" JR laughed and waved her arms and legs excitedly as Michael tickled her belly.

"I can't get over how adorable she is," Ben articulated. "Just like her father."

Michael blushed. "Me neither. She gets more beautiful each time I see her." He watched her eat for a second. "I wish she didn't have to go back home in a couple of days."

"Be patient. You'll see her again before you know it. Her birthday is in two months."

"Maybe I'll go with Brian a few times when he goes to pick up Gus," Michael mused. "Then I'd get to at least see her every other week. It's not much, but it's better than every couple of months."

"I think that would be a good idea," Ben agreed.

Hunter pushed his chair back and brought his plate into the kitchen. On his way back through, Ben asked, "Where you going, pal?"

"Upstairs. I have a huge fucking paper to write for my history class."

"Language!" Michael protested, clapping his hands over JR's ears.

"Like she even knows what I'm saying. She can barely say 'dada,' so quit worrying."

"I don't care! Soon enough she'll be able to understand you and I don't want to have to explain to Mel that our daughter learned a new word because her big brother couldn't keep his tongue in check."

"Please," Ben pleaded, cutting in before Hunter could argue. "Just watch your mouth around her."

"Fine." Hunter sighed and started up the stairs. "Whatever. I'll just go up to my room and swear at my textbooks."

"If you need any help..."

"I'll let you know," Hunter called over his shoulder.

Michael shook his head. "Can JR stay the age she is right now forever? I don't even want to deal with the whole teenager thing."

"It won't be that bad," Ben assured him.

"Not that bad? You know how teenagers are these days, I won't be shocked if she ends up pregnant before she's sixteen!"

"You worry too much." Ben grasped Michael's shoulder. "Just relax. Jenny Rebecca is going to be fine. When she gets to an age where we need to worry about that, we'll sit her down and talk to her about safe sex."

"Yeah, that'll be comfortable." Michael couldn't imagine just how awkward that conversation would be. "I remember how awkward it was when my mom talked to me about using protection. I was so embarrassed that I locked myself in my room."

"Well, we could always have your mom do it, then. She's not bothered by stuff like that and her point got across to you.."

"It's settled," Michael teased. "Crisis averted."

Ben laughed and stood up. "Do you want anything for desert?" he asked. "I think Hunter left us some ice cream."

"No, thanks, I'm full. Hey, I'll do the cleaning," he offered as Ben started to collect the dirty plates from the table. "You did the cooking."

"No, you're going to spend some quality time with Jenny Rebecca."

"Thanks." Michael gave Ben a peck on the cheek. "I love you so much."

"I'll be right back." Ben went around the corner into the kitchen and Michael could hear the sound of water running. Jenny looked over at the strange sound and watched through the divide as Ben set to work.

Michael yawned. The first night, Jenny had as usual, stayed up half the night fussing. As the week progressed she'd gradually gotten comfortable enough to sleep most of the way through the night, but Michael was so paranoid that something bad was going to happen to her that he went in to check on her every fifteen minutes. After about an hour of this, he would give up and just go and sit in front of her crib and watch her sleep. Eventually, he'd dose off in the chair, resting his head against the wall. Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, Ben would come in and drape a blanket over him.

"I think we should try to get to bed a little earlier tonight, don't you, honeybun?" At the sound of Michael's voice Jenny Rebecca looked over and smiled. "You're such a little cutie," Michael cooed.

Ben finished the dishes and came back in to sit with Michael at the dinner table. "You look exhausted," he noted, rubbing Michael's shoulders.

"I am. But what can I do? I stay up half the night worrying that she's going to get asphyxiated in her sleep or she'll choke on her vomit or something."

"Michael, you need to learn to just relax and not worry so much. If you're not careful, you're going to give yourself an ulcer. Unnecessary stress is not good for your body."

"I know, but I can't relax. If anything ever happened to her, I could never forgive myself."

"Nothing is going to happen to her. She's in good hands." Michael's lips tugged into a slight smile. "Now how's about you, me, and Jenny Rebecca go sit down in the living room and watch a movie?" Michael opened his mouth to protest. "I'll let you pick."

"All right. But only for a little while. Jenny Rebecca has to go to bed soon and I don't want to mess up her schedule. Mel will kill me."

Michael lifted JR out of her high chair and followed Ben into the living room. "What are you in the mood for?" he asked Ben, sorting through their DVD collection.

"It's your pick," Ben reminded him. "Just please do not pick anything too mindless. No more Brett Keller films."

"How about X 2?" Michael suggested, smiling sweetly. He knew that Ben couldn't resist his boyish charms.

"If that's what you want, go for it," Ben relented, handing Michael the remote.

"Thanks." Michael put the DVD in and joined Ben on the couch. He held Jenny Rebecca in his arms as he rested his head on Ben's broad chest. Before the movie had even started, both Michael and JR were fast asleep. Smiling, Ben kissed the top of Michael's head.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk:** It's New Year's Eve and the gang all celebrate the new year in their own way.


	99. Happy New Year

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Lindsay and Melanie had dinner with the Petersons, who offered reconciliation. But at the dinner, Melanie realized that the only reason they were being nice was because they were mad at Lindsay's sister Lynette. Still, she carried on for Lindsay's sake.

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Eight

Sighing, Lance flipped the channel again. It was New Year's Eve and there was nothing to watch. "If you change that goddamn channel one more time, you're going to find that remote up your ass," Debbie said from the kitchen. The sound was driving her insane.

"There's nothing good on," Lance said in his defense.

"We're going to watch the countdown. It's a Novotny family tradition. Every year, Vic and I used to sit down together and watch the countdown." At the mention of Vic, Debbie's heart swelled. She would always miss her baby brother, but she would always be glad for the years of good memories that they had shared together.

From upstairs, Carl called, "Deb, have you seen my slippers? I can't find them anywhere."

"Carl, get your ass down here, you're going to miss it!" Deb exclaimed frantically. "Who cares about your damn slippers? You're not going anywhere!"

"I'll be down as soon as I find my..." Carl trailed off. "Oh! There they are."

"Good. Now, come down here. It's almost time."

Giving up on finding anything good to watch, Lance set the remote down and stood up. He had heard that there was a New Year's party being held at Babylon. Surely that was more entertaining than watching a ball drop. He pulled his coat on. "I'm going out." Debbie pretty much let him come and go as he wanted, as long as he was back by one and brought no one with him.

"You don't want to see the ball drop?" Debbie asked, affronted. How could someone not want to see that? It was a tradition. Surely it was better than looking at a bunch of half naked men. Actually, no, it wasn't.

"Believe me, I've seen plenty of balls drop. I'm sure one more won't make or break me. Have fun watching. I'll be back later." Truthfully, he had to get out of the house before he went crazy. Deb was great and all and he appreciated what she was doing for him, but he wasn't used to having someone around all of the time like she was. If he didn't get out, he might say something that he would regret later. Plus, it had been over a week since he'd last had sex and he was itching to sow his oats.

Debbie, in the process of getting herself a bowl of ice cream, nodded in understanding. Michael had needed his space, too. There was nothing she could do but go along with it. "Just be careful, you hear? There will be all kinds of perverts out tonight and I don't want to find your body in a dumpster or the gutter."

"I always am," Lance assured her, wrapping his scarf around his neck. "Now quit worrying, I'll be fine."

"And don't forget to bring some condoms and lube. You don't want to have to go without do you?"

Lance blushed a deep shade of scarlet. How did Michael ever survive with a mother like Debbie? "Oh God, shoot me now," he muttered, hurrying out the door.

"Have a good time!" Debbie called after him, laughing. She had pulled the same trick on Michael plenty of times when he was Lance's age. She had never had to worry about him having unprotected sex after teasing him about it. Plus, Brian had always kept an eye on him and she knew that Brian would never let anything happen to his best friend.

Carl came down the stairs slowly, his limp still impairing him. "Where did Lance go?" he asked. "I thought we were all going to sit down together and watch the countdown."

"He went out," Deb answered simply.

"Out?" Carl could only imagine what that meant. Hopefully nothing too bad. As a police officer, he had seen plenty to keep him awake at night. At least Lance had a good head on his shoulders. Carl doubted that he would be out scouting for drugs.

"He didn't say where exactly, but it's safe to assume he's going to Babylon. There's some kind of party there tonight. You know how queens love to party."

"Yeah." Carl eased himself down onto the couch. "He's being careful, right?"

"He better be! I told him to take some condoms and lube with him. Embarrassed the shit out of him. I don't think he'd do anything irresponsible."

Carl nodded and patted the spot next to him on the couch. Debbie grabbed her bowl of ice cream and two spoons and shuffled over. Her bathrobe was open and Carl could see her silk chemise. It had been awhile since they'd last made love, what with Lance living in the house and everything. But they were alone tonight and Lance probably wouldn't be back until after midnight, which left them plenty of time. "Say, Deb, it looks like we have the house to ourselves tonight," he began, draping his arm over her shoulder.

"Yeah. About time, right?" Deb chuckled. "I love the kid to death but sometimes I just need my space, you know?"

"Uh huh." He moved his arm farther down her neck, toward her bosom. "We have the house to ourselves," he repeated.

"I know."

"It's been awhile," Carl continued, gently kissing Debbie's earlobes.

Debbie, catching on, set her bowl of ice cream down. "Carl!" she exclaimed, as fiery as her wig.

"What?"

"I can't miss this! Vic would never forgive me!"

"Deb, honey, it's only eleven. We have at least a half hour before we need to worry about missing anything."

"I suppose..." Deb looked up into his eyes. They were sparkling with lust. "Oh, all right," she yielded.

"Good." Carl kissed her neck and slipped his hand down into the front of her chemise.

"Oh, Carl," Debbie gasped, lying back on the couch.

* * *

Emmett opened the door to the apartment and stepped in. "There you are," Calvin said, coming out from the kitchen. He had sent Emmett out to get some champagne over an hour earlier and it shouldn't have taken him that long.

"And with champagne," Emmett replied, flashing Calvin the bottle. "I had to fight some drag queen for it, so you better enjoy it."

"I will." Calvin laughed. "I was beginning to think you'd abandoned me." He planted a kiss on Emmett's cheek.

"Liberty Avenue was a zoo! I haven't been in that tight of a jam since I lost my virginity." Emmett laughed. "I can't even imagine what Babylon must be like. Probably packed to the brim with twinks and crystal queens."

"Do you usually go to Babylon for New Years?" Calvin asked. It was the first winter he had spent with Emmett and if he had something he wanted to do, Calvin didn't want him to forsake it just for him.

"Yeah, we all go and dance till dawn." He smiled. "Last year, there was a Bulging Biceps contest that had all of us panting like a pack of dogs. I was practically hyperventilating." He remembered the night perfectly. One of the contestants had taken him into the back room and fucked him for three hours straight. Afterwards, he and Ted had gone out for ice cream. Ah the good old days.

Calvin nodded. "What kind of contest are they having this year?" he asked casually. If Emmett knew what contest they were having, it would be apparent that he wanted to go and if not, then he was content staying home. Calvin hoped for the latter, he did not feel like going clubbing.

"I don't know. Teddy didn't mention anything. If there was some fabulous event, he would have notified me. He might even have closed Babylon for the night. Who knows?"

"Close Babylon on New Year's Eve, why would he do that?"

"Supposedly business isn't doing too well right now. It must be the economy. No one has money to go out clubbing every night anymore."

"We could go check it out if you want," Calvin offered, pouring two glasses of champagne. "If it's open, we could see what they have to offer."

"That's okay, I'd rather spend the evening here with you getting drunk off of cheap champagne." He leaned in and kissed Calvin. "Besides, I know how much you hate going out."

"Yeah." Calvin heaved a sigh of relief. "And I like to stay in and watch the countdown."

"Then that's what we're going to do."

"All right. So, how long till next year?"

Emmett looked down at his watch. "Half an hour," he replied. "Well, technically about twenty before we have to turn on the TV.

"Hmmm."

"That gives us just enough time to take a bubble bath," Emmett announced, flouncing to his feet.

"A bubble bath?" Calvin asked, chuckling.

"What could be better than a bubble bath, my husband, and some champagne?"

"I can't think of anything else." He got up and started to follow Emmett.

"Don't forget the champagne," Emmett reminded him.

"I won't." Calvin grabbed the bottle of champagne and the two champagne glasses.

When the tub was filled, Calvin got in first, testing the water. "Is it okay?" Emmett asked, stripping out of his pants.

"It's just right." He held out his hand to help Emmett into the tub.

"You're right," Emmett said, stepping into the water. "It is just right." He sat down and leaned back against Calvin. "Who would have ever thought that we'd be here right now, together?" Emmett commented.

"What do you mean?"

"You, captain of the swim team and me, the biggest nelly bottom in Hazelhurst. It's definitely unexpected."

Yeah. But I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

"Me neither." Emmett clinked his glass against Calvin's and leaned back to kiss him.

* * *

Michael ended the call. "Nothing?" Ben asked, hovering at his side.

"No. She must have the ringer off of something," Michael mused. He had decided to call Debbie before she called him. Every year on New Year's Eve, she would call him and see if he was going to watch the countdown and since he had decided to stay in instead of going to Babylon that year, he could finally tell his mother what she wanted to hear.

"At least you tried, right?"

"I guess." Michael put his phone back in his pocket. It wasn't like Debbie to leave her ringer off but he wasn't about to panic and assume the worst. For all he knew, she could have a migraine or be asleep.

Jenny Rebecca lumbered over toward him and he lifted her up into his lap, raining kisses down on her. He had opted to keep her up until after midnight knowing full well that once the clock struck midnight, madness would ensue outside and she would get woken up anyway. At least this way, they could experience it together. "Just you wait, honeybun. At midnight we're going to say goodbye to 2005 welcome in 2006. Hopefully it'll be even better than last year was."

"I think she's a little young to grasp that concept," Ben said, laughing.

"That won't stop him from doing it," Hunter noted, flopping down on the couch. "He talks to her like she's four or five, not two."

"Excuse me, but my daughter happens to be incredibly smart. She might not be able to respond so well, but she knows what I'm saying. Don't you JR?"

"Yeah," JR giggled.

Hunter rolled his eyes. "You keep on telling yourself that, dude."

"Do you always have to be so pessimistic?" Michael asked.

"Naturally. Make sure that translates into your book."

"Smart ass."

"Watch your language, there's a child present." Hunter nodded toward JR. "We wouldn't want her to pick up any bad habits, would we?"

"Ha ha." Michael reached into the bowl of popcorn and threw a piece at Hunter. "Quit being such a teenager."

"But where's the fun in that?" Hunter jokingly whined.

"What are we going to do with you?" Michael murmured, shaking his head.

"Are you two going to pick at each other for the next fifteen minutes?" Ben asked.

Michael shook his head emphatically. "No, I'm ending it now. There is no way that we are going to ring in the new year at each other's throats."

"That's awfully big of you," Hunter joked. "I guess I can let it drop for now."

"You're so mature, pal." Ben tousled his hair.

* * *

Ted lay back against the pillows and closed his eyes. "Are you sure you don't want anything?" Blake asked, frowning concernedly. Ted had a migraine so bad that he could barely see. He hadn't gotten one that bad in years. It drained all of his energy and left him weak. _Why did this have to happen on New Year's Eve?_ Ted wondered. _I'm going to miss all the festivities_.

"Shoot me?" Ted pleaded. He couldn't imagine how bad it would be once midnight rolled around and the craziness started. Just thinking about it made his grimace.

"I could never do that, no matter how badly you begged me." He kissed Ted's forehead. "Now, how about some chicken noodle soup? That always helps me when I'm feeling oogy."

"Thanks." Ted patted Blake's hand. When he'd started getting the migraines as a teenager, eating always helped alleviate the pain.

"I'll be right back."

As soon as Blake was out of the room, Ted flicked the light off. It was too bright for him. His head pounded and the pain was so severe that he couldn't drift off into the sleep that he so desperately needed. Maybe if he laid there long enough, his exhaustion would win out over his pain and he'd awake in the morning feeling back to the old Ted.

Blake quietly opened the door and whispered, "Ted, are you awake?"

"Unfortunately," Ted grumbled. "Please don't turn on the light."

"Then how are you going to see to eat your soup?" Ted sighed.

"Fine, turn it on." He covered his eyes before Blake turned on the light.

"Here." Blake climbed into bed and set the tray of soup in Ted's lap. "Open your mouth."

"You're going to feed me like a baby?"

"Well if you'd rather do it yourself..."

"No. Pamper me."

"I thought you'd like that." Blake gave Ted a spoonful of soup. "How's that?" he asked.

"Good." He swallowed. "What time is it?"

"11:45," Blake answered.

Ted scoffed. "Fifteen minutes left until my brain oozes out my ears."

"I think I have some earplugs, if you want them," Blake offered.

"You are a saint."

"I've been told that before." Blake smiled.

"I love you," Ted blurted, uncovering his eyes long enough to look up at Blake.

"I love you, too." Blake kissed Ted lightly on the lips. "Now finish your soup and let's get you off to bed."

"Okay." Ted settled back against his pillow and covered his eyes again.

* * *

Brian stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Come on, Gus," he called up, grinning. Gus had gone upstairs to change into a pair of pajamas.

"Is it time yet?" Gus asked, rushing after his father.

"Any minute now." When Gus reached the bottom of the stairs, they hurried into the den.

"You made it." Lindsay laughed. "Come on, we saved you a seat."

"Next to me," Justin added, patting the cushion next to him. He smiled sweetly at Brian.

"Best seat in the house," Brian said with a grin. He dropped down next to Justin and nuzzled him with his chin. "I'm going to fuck your brains out tonight," he said softly so that only Justin could hear him.

"I can't wait." Justin brushed his lips against Brian's.

Melanie shook her head. "It's nice to see that marriage hasn't ruined you guys' affection for one another."

"Why would it? We're fucking even more now than we did before," Brian declared, grinning as Melanie clenched her jaw.

"I'm going to kill you," Justin muttered, his face blushing beet red.

"Brian!" Lindsay chastised, giggling.

"Gus, don't repeat what your daddy just said," Melanie told him.

"I won't." Gus looked back to the TV.

The countdown was fast approaching. "Less than a minute," Justin murmured. "2005 will be done and over with."

"And?" Brian prompted.

"It was the best year of my life." Brian smiled. "But I know that 2006 will be just as good, if not better."

"Definitely." Brian clinked his glass against Justin's.

"Here we go!" Lindsay beamed, leaning forward in excitement.

"Ten seconds," Melanie added.

"Ten!" Gus yelled as the countdown began. The others joined in and after one, they all shouted "Happy New Year!"

Brian turned to Justin and his eyes twinkled. "Happy New Year," he said quietly.

"Happy New Year." Justin laughed and threw his arms around Brian. "I love you so much, Brian."

"I love you, too" Brian replied, pulling back to gaze into Justin's eyes. "No matter what happens in the new year, I want you to always remember that."

"I will," Justin promised. "As long as you'll always remember it, too."

"I couldn't forget it even if I wanted to."

Justin grinned and moved over to hug Melanie and Lindsay. Brian watched him from the couch, his heart racing in his chest. He didn't think it was possible, but he loved Justin more and more with each passing day. When they'd first met, he had thought that his infatuation with Justin would end, but now, years later, he was glad that it hadn't and that it had evolved. Because without Justin in his life, he had nothing to keep him going. He would be utterly lost without his Sunshine. _Thank God he came back to me_, he thought, shooting a grateful look skyward.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Justin puts the final details together for his show in New York. Brian enlists Ted to run Kinnetik while he's away.


	100. Reservations

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Justin was offered an art exhibit in New York.

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Nine

Halfway through the next month, Justin got another call from Jackson. He was at work, going over an ad with Brian when the phone rang. Justin pulled his phone out and was about to turn it off when Brian put his hand out, stopping him. "Answer it," he said. "It could be important."

"Sorry," Justin apologized.

"Don't worry about it. You're just lucky I'm not only your boss, but also your husband. Otherwise, your ass would be mine and not in a good way."

"I'll make it up to you," Justin promised, answering the call.

The exhibit was being organized and was due to be unveiled in two weeks' time. "Everything is set," Jackson told him. "We'll be sending you the rest of the information and plane tickets. Look for them within a few days."

"Thank you," Justin said. "I really appreciate everything you've done for me."

"Think nothing of it. It is my job after all. I'm sorry, I have to go, another client. See you later."

"Bye." Justin hung up and stared at his phone for a few seconds.

Brian watched him with interest. "Was that Jackson?" he asked. Justin's exhibit was supposed to be in a few weeks and if Jackson didn't start doing his job, he would be hearing from Brian and it wouldn't be pleasant. Nobody let Justin down and made it out unscathed. He would do whatever was necessary to get payback.

"Yeah. Everything is taken care of. He's sending us the information. It should be here in a few days."

"Why couldn't he just tell it to you on the phone?"

"He did. They're paying for our airfare, so they have to send us the tickets and some kind of itinerary thing."

"Nice. That'll save me a couple hundred dollars."

"Which you'll spend once we get there," Justin teased.

"So? Is there something wrong with that?"

"Absolutely not. You work long, hard hours and can spend your money any way you want to."

"What if I want to spend it on you?"

"In that case, no you can't."

Brian scoffed. "But what if that's what I want? You want me to be happy, don't you?"

"Yes I want you to be happy, and if you want to spend money so bad, buy something for Gus or the baby."

"But I want to buy something for you. To celebrate your accomplishment. Isn't that what people do when someone they love accomplishes something?"

"I guess." He shrugged. "Does that mean when you accomplish something that I get to buy you a present?"

"No. You get to blow me." Brian grinned. "The greatest honor you could ever ask for."

"I do that all the time," Justin reminded him.

"Besides, I don't really think I'll be accomplishing much of anything in the near future. I've already graduated from high school and college. I've got a steady job, I'm married, and I have a son and a daughter on the way. What more can I possibly do?"

Justin shrugged. "Nothing." Brian was right. He had accomplished so much already and there wasn't much else to do.

"Unlike you, who has college graduation to look forward to," Brian continued.

"Not for a few more years."

"You're going to look hot in your cap and gown."

"I'm not wearing a cap and gown."

"Why? Are you embarrassed? Everyone wears one when they graduate. Remember high school?"

"I wouldn't know, I couldn't go to my high school graduation," Justin said, the light vanishing from his face.

Brian mentally kicked himself. "Sorry," he said, wishing he could take it back. Justin did not need to keep being reminded about what had happened to him. It was bad enough that he'd had to go through it in the first place.

"It's not your fault. I know that if you had your way, I would've been there."

"You know me too well."

Justin looked back at Brian and smiled grimly. Brian chewed his lip. Time to change the subject to something less depressing. "If you want to buy me something, I won't stop you," Justin surrendered. "As long as it's not too expensive."

"So I guess a penthouse apartment is out of the question then?"

"I wouldn't object to that," Justin joked, immediately cheering up. Brian had a knack for always knowing exactly what to say to cheer him up. "We could get one right on Fifth Avenue and we could look out the bay windows and see the people walking by." He smiled at the thought.

"I thought that would get you to drop your ridiculous sensibilities."

"You thought right." Justin leaned up and brushed his lips against Brian's. Brian felt his lips tingle at the contact and he hungrily pulled Justin toward him. Their lips met again and Justin pushed Brian back onto the desk. He started to unbutton his shirt, but when the sound of the door opening echoed throughout the office, he froze. "Shit!"

Ted came around the corner and stopped dead in his tracks. "Sorry," he muttered, his face burning with embarrassment. He quickly scampered back toward the door. He didn't want to have to watch Brian Kinney fuck again. It was his own personal hell.

"What is it, Theodore?" Brian asked, unashamed. He had had sex in public plenty of times and didn't care who saw him in the act.

"I-I uh..." Ted shuffled back into the office. Why couldn't Brian just let him go?

"Out with it."

"I just came in to give you this. It's the estimated earnings for the upcoming quarter."

"Thanks." Brian accepted the proffered folder and briefly flipped through it.

"Yep." Ted turned on his heel.

"Theodore?"

"Yeah, Bri?"

"We were about to go get some lunch. Would you care you care to join us?"

"That's okay. I've got a lot of work to do before I can go home. I think I'm just going to skip lunch altogether."

"Come on," Justin heckled him. "Deb will be disappointed if you don't come."

"Why would Deb care?" Brian teased.

"You know what I mean," Justin said, shaking his head. Brian just had to make it sexual.

"Well?" Brian prompted, turning back to Ted.

Ted sighed. "All right. Let me get my coat. Do you mind if I take my work with me?"

"Whatever gets you there, Theodore," Brian said, waving it off.

"Hey, we can take my car if you want. That way we can all fit in one"

"Fine." Brian grabbed his coat and led the way out into the main reception area. "Cynthia, I'm going to lunch. Hold all my calls until I get back."

"Sure, Brian," Cynthia replied, nodding. "Anything else?"

"Do you want to clean my bathroom?"

"Not particularly." Cynthia frowned. She was Brian's assistant, not his cleaning lady. If he seriously wanted her to clean his private bathroom, then she'd better be getting a raise.

"Then no. Why don't you take your lunch break?"

"Thanks."

Brian, Justin, and Ted piled into Ted's car. "I'm really sorry about walking in on you guys," Ted said, frowning apologetically.

"It's okay, Ted," Justin assured him. "We can always finish later."

"How about you knock from now on?" Brian suggested. "That way we don't have any more mishaps again."

"Sure thing."

"Good answer, Theodore."

"Hey, Ted, my exhibit's been confirmed for the week of the twenty-seventh. Are you and Blake going to be able to make it?" Justin asked.

"We'll be there," Ted promised. "Actually, Blake and I are going to go a few days early and see the sights."

"Like your honeymoon?" Brian asked, disgusted.

"Yeah, actually."

"How pathetic," Brian mumbled.

"I think it's nice," Justin assured him, smiling at Brian.

When they got to the diner, Justin looked around for Debbie but couldn't see her anywhere. "Deb must have the day off," he said, sitting next to Brian in the booth.

"Damn. Our portions aren't going to be very big today boys," Brian replied, sighing.

"Who's that new waitress?" Ted asked. He nodded toward the woman a few tables down. Her back was to them, but she was the same build as Debbie and even had her vest on. To top it all off, she had a crazy, rainbow colored wig on.

"I have no idea." Justin laughed behind his hand. "But whoever she is, she has the most bizarre fashion sense I have ever seen."

"Really?" the woman demanded, slamming her pad down on the table. Looking at her face, they saw that she was Debbie.

Justin blinked a couple of times to make sure that he wasn't seeing things. "Deb?" he asked, completely dumbfounded.

"Yeah it's me Sunshine. You don't like my wig?"

"It's beautiful," he lied, laughing nervously.

"Good. Michael got it for me for Christmas. I thought I'd wear it out today, break it in."

"It looks great," Ted assured her.

"Oh, thanks, Teddy!" Debbie pinched his cheek. "What do you think?" she asked Brian.

"I think you're the gayest thing on Liberty Avenue, Deb," he answered, brutally honest.

"That's the exact reaction that I was aiming for." Deb laughed. "Your food will be right up." Once again, she had ordered them what she wanted them to eat.

Within a few minutes, Debbie came back with their food. "Are you getting ready for your show, Sunshine?" she asked, taking the seat next to Ted.

"I am. You're going to be there, right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Deb assured him with a kind smile.

"It's the week of the twenty-seventh, just so you know."

"I took the week off so I wouldn't miss it."

"Can you afford that?"

"I'll manage. The plane ticket and hotel are going to be the real problem."

"If you need any help..." Brian began.

"Don't even think about it!" Debbie exclaimed. "You already helped me out once before. I'm not taking any more of your money!"

"Forget I brought it up," Brian muttered.

Debbie nodded and turned back to Justin. "It's only a weekend show, right?"

"Yeah. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. But I hope that if it does well, they'll extend it. I need all the publicity I can get."

"It shouldn't be too expensive to fly in, stay for the night, and fly back in the morning," Debbie mused.

"I have a free ticket you can have," Justin offered. "First class."

"Oh, Sunshine, I couldn't," Debbie protested.

"Please? I don't want you to have to worry about how you're going to get there. Especially because you're going out of your way for me."

"Fine, I'll take the damn ticket, but I'm paying for my own room."

"Deal."

Deb left to go get another customer's order. "See how easy that was?" Justin asked.

"Now you're out one ticket," Brian pointed out.

"I can afford to buy my own ticket."

"Do you have a free ticket for me, too?" Ted teased.

"Sorry, Theodore, you're on your own," Brian said.

"What are you going to do if your show gets extended?" Ted inquired.

"I have no idea," Justin admitted. "I can't stay there. I guess they'll just have to do it without me." He thought about it for a second. What if he could stay in New York with Brian? It would be a great way to celebrate their upcoming anniversary. If only he didn't have obligations. And with the baby coming within the next few weeks, it just wasn't possible. But it's nice to dream.

* * *

A few days later, Justin got a packet in the mail. "Who's that from?" Brian asked, handing the package to Justin. He assumed that it was from Jackson.

"It's from the museum," Justin explained, tearing the package open. He pulled the papers out and briefly skimmed them. "Well, there's good news and bad news," he announced. "Which do you want to hear first?"

"The good news," Brian replied, settling himself into a chair.

"Okay. The museum is paying for our accommodations. At the Four Seasons."

"No kidding." Brian chuckled. They'd be staying at the same hotel Justin had stayed in when he'd run off to New York after Brian had kicked him out.

"I didn't think I'd ever go back to New York again," Justin murmured.

"What's the bad news?"

Justin exhaled sharply. "They want me to go a week early to supervise the set up."

"So what's the problem? I think you should do it." Brian acted cavalier about the whole thing, but in truth he didn't want Justin to go away for a week. They hadn't spent more than a day apart since Justin had moved back and just the thought of it made Brian's heart ache.

"I can't leave you here alone for a whole week," Justin protested.

"What, are you afraid I'll get up to some mischief?" Brian teased.

"It's not that I...I can't be away from you for that long." He met Brian's gaze. "I know it sounds stupid, but it's unthinkable. And I can't imagine you'd want to me to be gone that long."

Brian took Justin's head in his hands. "You do what you have to do," he said softly. It was taking all of the will power he possessed to keep a smile on his face. "Don't worry about me. Somehow, I'll manage. If they want you to go early, then go. If you don't want to, don't, but base the decision on what you want, not what I want."

"I don't want to go," Justin whispered. "I'd miss you too much. And besides, what about my job and school?"

"I can spare you at work."

"Maybe, but I can't miss school for a whole week, I'd never catch up."

"I'm sure you could work something about."

"No, I'm not going. If they don't like it, they can cancel the exhibit, I don't care." Brian felt relief wash over him. Then guilt settled in.

Brian sighed. "Yes, you do," he protested. "You've been wanting this for as long as I can remember. It's your dream, you want it more than anything."

"Not enough to put myself through hell. I'm sure they can manage without me."

"What if I took the time off from work and came with you?"

"That would be great, but you can't do that."

"Why the fuck not?"

"Because, you've finally gotten caught up from all the time you took off over the summer to be with Gus and I. I'm not going to let you do that to yourself again, not on my account."

"Whatever you say."

"Can we change the subject now?" Justin asked, his eyes pleading.

"Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

"Baby names?" Justin suggested.

* * *

The next day at work, Brian discreetly called Ted and Cynthia into his office. "What's up, Bri?" Ted asked, taking a seat.

"Justin got a letter from the museum yesterday. They want him to come a week early to supervise the set up."

"That's great!" Ted smiled. "That'll give you guys time to experience all the wonders of the city."

"Yeah, except there's one problem: he won't go without me."

"So go with him," Cynthia said. "It seems like a no brainer to me."

"I offered, but he said that he didn't want me to miss work on his behalf. He's a stubborn little shit."

"So what are you going to do?"

Brian blew air out of his cheeks. "Do? I'm going to have you two help me get all of the work done for next week so that it can be presented in my absence."

"But who's going to do it? I'm only going to be here for half of the week," Ted pointed out.

"That's where you come in, Cynthia. I want you to reschedule all of my meetings for the first half of the week. That way, Ted can present them before he goes."

"I'll get right on it," Cynthia promised. "If anyone wants an appointment while you're gone, I'll schedule it for the following week."

"Thank you."

"That's what I'm here for." Cynthia smiled and headed off to complete her task.

Ted stared down at his hands for a second. This was one of the moments where the old Ted with low self-esteem came back. "You're trusting me to run your meetings?" he asked, swallowing nervously.

"You'll be fine, Theodore. You did just fine the last time I had to you fill in for me," Brian reminded him. "In fact, not only did you get the account, you also fucked the client's son."

"But that was different, you were just across town. You'll be in a different state!"

"You'll be fine," Brian reiterated. "If there's any problems, call me. Okay?"

"Okay," Ted relented. What was the worst that could happen, right?

With a satisfied smile, Brian closed his eyes, prepping himself to work his ass off.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Emmett and Ted strategize on how to save Babylon.


	101. Emmett's Expertise

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Justin got a call from Jackson in New York, asking him to come to New York a week early in order to set up for the exhibit.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred

From up on the second-story catwalk, Ted looked out at the disappointing crowd. He shook his head sadly. With each night, the number of people at Babylon shrunk even more. Pretty soon, nobody would bother coming anymore and he would be screwed. "Here you go, Teddy," Emmett said, handing him a drink.

"Thanks." Ted continued to watch the people below, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Babylon used to be the hottest gay club in Pittsburgh, so what the hell had happened? Popperz had recently closed down and it was the only real competition that Babylon had ever had.

"What are you looking at?" Emmett asked. "Cute guys?"

"Hardly. I'm trying to count how many people are here tonight," Ted replied.

"Still not doing well?"

"That's an understatement. In a few days, this place will be officially dead."

"Oh, come on now, it can't be that bad."

Ted turned to look at Emmett. "They are," he insisted. "You have no idea how screwed I am."

"How screwed are you?" Emmett asked obligatorily.

"Let's just say that if things don't pick up within the next couple of weeks, this place will be history. I'll have to close it down."

"You can't do that!" Emmett protested emphatically. "This is our place!"

"What choice do I have, Em? Babylon is going down the tubes. At least if I sell, I can walk away with some money left."

"You're going to sell it to those land developers that want to turn it into a mall? What would Brian and Michael say?"

"I don't really care what Brian and Michael would say. They don't own the club. And besides, they've moved on, Em. Michael hasn't been here in months. All he does is stay home and work on his book. And Brian and Justin...well, they do whatever it is they do"

Emmett patted Ted's arm comfortingly. "There's got to be something you can do, Teddy."

"I've tried everything I could think of and nothing has worked. I think it's time to just accept that Babylon's done."

"I'll buy it!" Emmett exclaimed. He had a few ideas that could make Babylon fabulous again.

"I am not going to let you waste your money, Em," Ted insisted.

"Then at least let me try to help you."

"How?" Ted asked skeptically. "An enema couldn't help this place."

"That's where you're wrong, Teddy. Once we pinpoint the problem, it'll be a lot easier to patch things up."

He looked down at the go-go boys and balked. In the past, the go-go boys had been young, hot, well-muscled, and hung. But these go-go boys were hardly any of those things. They had love handles and the worst pecs Emmett had ever seen. No wonder Babylon had been abandoned. Who wanted to see borderline chubby go-go dancers?

"What?" Ted scrutinized him.

"Who hired those go-go boys?"

"My manager." Ted would have turned to look at the go-go boys but he was too dejected to even care anymore. He had failed.

"You didn't?"

"No. You know that I only come in every now and then."

"When were they hired?"

"A few months ago. Right after I hired the new manager."

"When did your problems start?"

"A few months ago. Right after I hired the new manager..."

"Exactly."

Ted blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?" It was true that he hadn't been to Babylon all that much since he and Blake had gotten married, but how bad of a job could his manager have done hiring go-go boys? It wasn't like it was hard or anything.

"Just look at them," Emmett said, pointing toward the platforms where the go-go dancers performed.

"Oh, my God!" Ted exclaimed. He felt bile rise up in his throat. What the fuck had Paul been thinking when he hired the dancers! "I said sexy!" Ted insisted.

"Well apparently, your manager's idea of sexy is millions of light-years from ours."

"He's fired," Ted declared, clenching his jaw. Paul was to blame for the fact that Ted has lost a significant amount of money over the course of the last few months. "Where is he!" He looked around angrily. _When I get my hands on him..._

Emmett grabbed Ted's shoulder. "Relax. The worst of it's over. Just tell the dancers that they're fired and hire some more."

"First I have to find a new manager," Ted grumbled, glaring down at Paul.

"Don't worry about a new manager. Haven't you learned your lesson?"

"I guess," Ted admitted. It was his club, he shouldn't be pawing it off on somebody else. If he had just done his job in the first place, none of this would be happening now. "The only problem is, I don't really have time to interview potential go-go boys."

"Why not?"

"Brian has us all a week ahead of schedule."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"He's doing next week's work this week so that he and Justin can go away for Justin's show."

"That's next week!"

"No. They have to go a week early to set up or something."

"Good, I still need to get my tickets and book my hotel."

"Me, too."

"Oh. So you're swamped at work?" Emmett asked, going back to Ted's earlier point.

"Exactly. I will be so glad when all of this is over and I can just go home and relax with my husband."

Emmett sucked on his straw for a second, the cogs in his mind turning. "Maybe I could interview them," he suggested.

"You?" Ted laughed.

"If there's anybody that knows what's hot and what's not, it's me. You definitely wouldn't end up with Jabba the Hutt as one of your dancers."

"True." Emmett had a good point. Ted trusted him completely. "But don't you have your own work to do?"

"I have tomorrow off. I can come in and interview all of the potential dancers and then we'll meet up and decide which ones you want."

"You're amazing, Em." Ted kissed Emmett's forehead excitedly. If the plan worked, he wouldn't have to worry about the club closing anymore and could finally relax.

"I know."

"I owe you a big one," Ted assured him.

"Ah." Emmett waved it off. "Don't worry about it, Teddy. What are friends for, right?"

"Saving the day."

"Precisely."

Ted heaved a huge sigh of relief. He could finally bury his problems. But then a thought came to him. "Hey, Em?"

"Yeah?"

"How are you going to get the interviews done tomorrow?"

"What do mean?"

"Nobody knows that we're on the market for new go-go boys. They aren't just going to show up on their own."

"Good point." Emmett chewed on his straw for a second, thinking.

"If there was more time, I'd day give it a few days, but I need to get this taken care of as soon as possible."

"What if we made an announcement tonight? That would catch their attention."

"It's worth a shot."

Ted cut the power to the sound system. The people below immediately turned to look up at him. They started to yell and complain. "I'll only take a moment of your time," Ted promised. "I just wanted to let you all know that we are holding open auditions tomorrow at..." He turned to Emmett. "What time?" he hissed.

"Three," Emmett shot back.

"Tomorrow at three for go-go dancers. So if anyone here is interested or knows someone who's interested, please come by tomorrow at three and show us what you got." He laughed nervously. "Thanks."

As the music blared once more, the crowd cheered and went back to dancing. "How was that?" Ted asked, licking his lips self-consciously.

"Good...if you were casting a musical," Emmett teased. "No, it was fine. Now we just have to wait and see who turns up tomorrow."

"Yeah. I can't thank you enough for this, Emmett."

"It's my pleasure," Emmett insisted. "I get to look at hot, half-naked men tomorrow. What could be better?"

"I can't think of anything." Ted laughed. "Just remember to behave yourself."

"I will." Emmett finished his drink. "Well, I'm going to turn in. Calvin's probably waiting up for me. I'll call you tomorrow after I'm done."

"All right. Good night, Em."

"Night, Teddy." Emmett kissed Ted's cheek and left.

Elation set in and Ted deciding to go home. He had great news to share with Blake and he didn't want to wait any longer. As he went down the stairs, he saw Paul by the bar, flirting with one of the go-go dancers. "Excuse me," Ted cut in. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure." Paul smiled at his trick and followed Ted over to a deserted corner. "What's up?"

"What's up is you're fired."

"What!" Paul exclaimed. His cheeks flushed with anger. "Why?"

"Why?" Ted laughed bitterly. "I told you to hire sexy go-go boys and what do you get me? Ones that have never seen a gym! Thanks to you, I almost had to close down the club."

"You said you wanted sexy dancers. Not everyone likes anorexic boys. Some of us like men with meat on their bones."

I don't give a shit what you find sexy! Now, I want you out of here by the time we open tomorrow night. Oh, and one more thing. Take the dancers with you. I'm sure they'll keep you entertained while you look for a new job."

Feeling empowered, Ted nodding to the bouncer on his way out and walked down the alley to his car. Not for the first time Ted wondered if part of the reason that no one was coming to Babylon was because it was freezing outside. _It definitely makes me think twice before leaving the house_, he thought. He was so preoccupied that he didn't even notice that he was hungry until his stomach rumbled. He looked down at the clock and winced. It was going on midnight; not many places would still be open, and he really didn't want to wait until he got home. Looking out the window, he spotted a McDonald's. It wasn't his favorite food but desperate times call for desperate measures. Before he went through the drive-thru, he called Blake to see if he wanted anything. "Hello?" Blake said, sounding weary.

"Hey, it's me. I'm at McDonald's, do you want anything?"

"No, thanks. Are you coming home soon?"

"I'll be right there. Are you okay, you sound exhausted."

"I am, work was crazy today. I'll wait up for you if you're almost home."

"See you in a few."

Normally, Ted would tell Blake to just go to bed, but tonight, he had good news that he had to share. When he opened the door to the condo, he saw Blake sitting on the couch, watching TV. "Oh, good, you're up," Ted said, taking the seat next to Blake.

"You sounded excited on the phone," Blake explained. "I figured there was something important that you wanted to tell me."

"There is." Ted ate a couple of fries. "I'm not going to have to close Babylon."

"You're not!" Blake perked up. For the past few months, Ted had been upset about the prospect of having to shut down Babylon. "What happened?"

"Emmett helped me figure out what the problem was."

"What was it?" Blake stole a couple of Ted's fries.

"The dancing boys.

"What was wrong with them?"

"Let's just say they weren't in the best shape."

Blake frowned. "How did you not notice that before now?" he asked. If he were in Ted's position, he would have noticed right away.

"I haven't been to the club all that much recently and when I was there, I didn't think to check the go-go boys out." He laughed. "I fired my manager."

"You did?"

"He's the one who hired the dancers. I guess from now on, I'll have to go in every night, at least for a few hours. Do you mind?"

"No. You do what you have to."

"Thanks."

"You never told me how you're going to save Babylon," Blake pointed out.

"Oh, right. Emmett's going to interview potential dancers tomorrow afternoon and after work, we're going to meet up and if there's any we like, I'm going to hire them. Hot dancers should be enough to bring the crowds back, don't you think?"

"Sure." Blake didn't know anything about managing a club, but he did know what he, as a gay man, wanted to see in a nightclub. "If that doesn't do the trick, I don't know what will."

Blake yawned. "Come on," Ted said. "Let's get you to bed."

"Okay." Blake allowed himself to be steered into the bedroom. He got into bed and Ted turned off the light.

"Good night," Ted whispered, kissing his cheek. Blake was already out.

* * *

The next day, Emmett was eating lunch at the diner. "So you're going to save Babylon?" Debbie asked skeptically.

"Mmmhmm. If it weren't for me, Teddy never would've realized the problem. Now, I'm going to interview potential employees and we're going to get together and pick the best of the best and hopefully that'll take care of everything," Emmett replied.

"And what if it doesn't?"

"I...hadn't actually thought of that," Emmett admitted. What if Debbie was right? What if he got Ted's hopes up for nothing? Maybe he had been right earlier in saying that the economy was to blame. _I wouldn't care how poor I am, I'd still be going out to the clubs,_ Emmett thought. He did have a backup plan already forming in his brain. "If worse comes to worst, I'll throw a fabulous grand re-opening party that will wow the crowds."

"Well, good luck, honey. I know that you guys don't want to have to lose Babylon."

"Yeah."

After finishing his food, Emmett made the short walk to Babylon. As he came down the alley, he saw that there was a long line of men waiting outside the club. _I guess our plan worked_, he thought happily. Ted had given him the key to the door so that he wouldn't have to come down to open the club himself. "Hi, everybody," Emmett said amicably as he unlocked the door. "I'm Emmett and I'll be interviewing you all today. Now once I get set up, I want to do this in a nice, orderly fashion, okay? That means one at a time." He stopped in his tracks when he saw a set of hot, ripped twins. They caught his eye and winked in unison. "Okay, maybe two at a time.  
He giggled.

"Come on, I don't have all fucking day!" one of the men exclaimed. "I have another job."

"Well, I guess those with jobs to get back to will have to go first, then," Emmett stipulated.

He got the door open and went in, turning on the dim light. He had brought a camera with him so that Ted could see the potential dancers when they met up. "First person, please," Emmett called out. He turned on some music and sat at the bar, turning to face the door. "Oh, my God," he gasped as the first guy came in. He was so hot that Emmett felt the front of his underwear grow moist.

"Can I begin?" the guy asked, unbuttoning his shirt.

"Yes please," Emmett answered, silently thanking God. Spending the afternoon watching hot men strip: his job couldn't get any better.

* * *

Later on, Emmett and Ted met up at Woody's. "This is Richard, he was really hot."

"That's what you've said about them all," Ted pointed out. They had gone through the majority of the applicants and so far all of them were good. They were all hot enough to accomplish what Ted wanted, but how was he going to choose?

"That's because they all were hot," Emmett explained. "I'm telling you, Teddy, I have never seen so many hot men in all my life. I had to go home and change my underwear afterwards."

"Thanks for sharing." Ted scowled in disgust. Just what he had wanted to know.

"So, what do you think?"

"They're all great," Ted admitted. "I don't know how we're ever going to be able to make our decision."

Emmett smiled. "That's easy. I interviewed them, so I know their personalities. Pick the two that you want the most and I'll tell you whether or not they're a good choice."

"All right," Ted said skeptically. He looked back through the pictures. "He's nice." He pointed to a picture of young man in his early twenties, the epitome of an Adonis.

"Good choice. That is..." Emmett racked his brain for the guy's name. "Keith! He was great."

"Okay, one down, one to go." Ted rubbed his chin as he glanced from one picture to the next. "How about this one?" he asked, holding up a picture of a kid about Hunter's age with bleached blonde hair. "Gentlemen prefer blondes," Ted quipped.

"Oh, no, not that one. He was a real prima donna. He came in with an attitude because he didn't get to audition first. Also, he might have a hot bod, but his ass is flatter than a cardboard box. Next choice."

Sighing, Ted set the picture aside and went back to perusing the others. There were men of every race, every hair color, every size, it was almost impossible. He was just about to give up when his eyes landed on the photo of the dark haired guy. Emmett had said that his name was Ian. Ted licked his lips as he looked Ian's body up and down: tight, well-muscled chest, bronze skin, dark, penetrating eyes. "Him," Ted decided, giving the picture to Emmett.

"Yummy! I think he was my favorite." He smiled. "Okay, I guess we're done. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Em." Ted wrote down Keith and Ian's numbers. Babylon was back.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Ted hosts a re-opening at Babylon. Brian and Justin leave for New York.


	102. The Meaning of Friendship

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** With the turnout at Babylon dwindling with each night, Ted began to make plans to shut it down. But when Emmett offered to help by hiring new go-go boys, Ted was willing to give it a try, not wanting to haveto shut down his safe haven.

* * *

Jackson asked Justin to come to New York a week early to help set up for the exhibit, but Justin refused to go without Brian, who managed to work all of his meetings into the same week so that he could go with Justin.

Chapter One Hundred One

"Brian?"

Brian rinsed the blade of his razor. "Yeah?" Justin had been banging around in the bedroom for the past few minutes. They had just gotten out of the shower after making love and Justin had immediately gone to find something to wear to Ted's soiree. Apparently, Ted was re-opening Babylon, hoping to bring the customers back and had invited them all to the party. He looked at himself in the mirror to make sure he hadn't missed any spots.

"Have you seen that Prada shirt that you bought for me in Italy?" Justin came back into the bathroom, frowning pensively. "It was hanging in the closet."

"That's what you're going to wear to Ted's party? You'll be the hottest fag there."

"Aw, thanks." Justin smiled. "But I can't wear it if I don't know where it is. I've looked all over and I can't find it anywhere."

"I know." While Justin had been at the grocery store the day before, Brian had packed for their trip. Their flight was the following evening and Brian hadn't even told Justin yet. He figured it was best to wait as long as possible, that way he couldn't argue.

Justin arched an eyebrow. "You know?" he repeated. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I packed it up," Brian explained, wiping the shaving cream residue off of his face.

"Packed it up for what? We're not moving again, are we?" He laughed sarcastically.

"For the trip."

"What trip?" Justin crossed his arms over his chest. "I told you that I'm not going."

"Well you are, so tough." Brian smiled deviously. He loved it when Justin got indignant.

"I'm not going without you," Justin reiterated.

"You're not. I'm coming with you."

"How? I told you not to take time off work." Justin felt a wave of guilt wash over him. Brian was always going out of his way for him. And it made him feel bad to know that he could never repay Brian for his countless generosity.

Brian let the towel that he had wrapped around his waist fall to the floor. Justin couldn't help but glance over at Brian's cock and smile.. "I took care of everything," Brian assured him. "Ted is taking over my meetings for me––everything's done. There's no reason for me to go to work at all next week, so I'm free to go with you."

"Is that why you've been so busy all week?" Brian nodded. "If I didn't love you so much, I'd be furious."

"I guess I got lucky then, huh?"

"You know, if you keep spoiling me like this I'm going to get used to it," Justin teased, smiling.

"That's the point." Brian leaned down and pressed his lips against Justin's. "I want you to get used to it so you'll stop feeling bad every time I do something for you."

"So, when are we going?"

"We leave tomorrow night. We're already packed and I've booked the flight. All we have to do is get to the airport."

"Tomorrow night? When were you planning on telling me?"

"Eventually." Brian shrugged.

"Or were you going to blindfold me like you did last time?"

"That trick only works once. Now, go get dressed, we have a stop to make on the way."

"Where?" Justin asked, toweling his chest dry.

"Michael and Ben's."

"They need a ride?"

"I don't know why Ben won't just buy a car. As much as he much works out, he doesn't have to worry about being active. Plus, it's fucking freezing out there, if they ride their bikes, they're going to catch pneumonia."

"It would be bad enough to catch pneumonia when you're completely healthy, but with Ben being positive..."

"That's why we're picking them up. So we're taking your car."

Brian finished drying himself off and opened up the door to the closet, trying to decide what to wear. He slipped on a pair of jeans, checking himself out in the mirror. Hot. Flipping through his vast collection of shirts, he chewed his lip. The problem with having so many clothes was picking out a single ensemble. He picked out a black button up shirt. "What do you think about this one?" he asked Justin, who had come back into the bedroom to find a pair of socks.

"That one's nice. It makes you look even hotter than you normally do."

"Thanks." Brian buttoned the shirt up. "Now I just need to do my hair and we can go."

"I'll be here," Justin promised.

A few minutes later, they were in the car. "So, Ted's re-opening Babylon?" Justin asked confusedly.

"He thinks it'll draw more customers in. Obviously he didn't learn anything from the last time. I had to pay people to come to Babylon before the crowds came rushing back," Brian reminded him. "I don't really think Ted can afford to follow my example."

"I heard that the new go-go boys are really hot," Justin mused. "Do you think that that will be enough to restore Babylon to its former glory?"

"For our sake, I hope so. If he doesn't figure something out, Babylon will become a mall. Then where will we go to party?"

"Meathook?" Justin suggested.

"Yeah. Right." Brian shook his head. He'd only been to Meathook a few times and hadn't really enjoyed himself. He liked a little leather now and then, but the whole S & M thing wasn't really his scene. He would much rather go to Babylon and meet regular guys.

Justin nodded. His mind wandered for a second and suddenly he remembered something that he had been meaning to tell Brian all day. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I think I've decided on a baby name." He felt his heart flitter at the idea.

"What did you come up with?" Brian asked, quickly glancing over at Justin.

"Kaya"

"Kaya," Brian repeated, testing the name out. It might not have been a name that he himself would have come up with, but it had a nice ring to it.

"Kaya Melanie Taylor-Kinney. What do you think?"

"Not bad." He shrugged. "I like it. Well, except for the middle name. Kaya Melanie sounds kind of weird."

"I promised Mel, remember?"

"If you want our daughter to be called Kaya Melanie, then go right ahead. I won't stop you."

"Then you can explain to Mel why I broke my promise."

"Why me? I don't want her pissed off at me."

"Because you're the one who doesn't like it."

"Fine, we can keep Melanie."

Justin nodded triumphantly. "I just hope that Daphne doesn't go into labor while we're gone. We can't miss it, Brian."

Brian squeezed Justin's hand. "We won't," he promised. "If Daphne starts to go into labor, she'll call us right away and we'll be on the first plane back."

"At least we wouldn't have to drive back. By the time we got here, it would most likely be over."

"I won't let that happen. I promise." Brian hoped that it was a promise he could actually keep. He'd never forgive himself if he broke it.

"I can't wait to see our daughter," Justin said, smiling. "She's going to be so beautiful."

"Yes, she is. Too bad she won't have your blonde hair, then she'd be even more beautiful."

"It's too bad that she won't look like both of us," Justin corrected. "Then she'd be the most gorgeous person ever born."

"After you."

"If you say so." Justin leaned over and rested his head on Brian's shoulder.

When they got to Michael and Ben's house, Brian cut the engine. "Are you coming in or do you want to stay in here?"

"I'll come with you," Justin replied, unfastening his seatbelt. "Someone has to be the voice of reason."

"Voice of reason my ass." They got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Brian rang the doorbell and waited.

"Hey," Ben said, opening the door. "We weren't expecting to see you guys yet."

"Where's your wife?" Brian asked, looking past Ben.

"He's in the living room. Aren't you guys going to be late for Ted's re-opening thing?"

"Not if you and Mikey hurry up and get ready."

"Let me get Michael." Ben called for Michael and opened the door wider so that Brian and Justin could come in.

Michael came around the corner and froze. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

"We came to take you to the party," Brian explained, tossing Michael's coat to him. "Let's go."

"I'm not going," Michael replied. "I have a lot of work to do. Ted will understand."

"You're seriously going to let Ted down? That's not like you, Mikey."

"You're kidding, right?" Justin cut in. There was no way that Michael would normally leave Ted hanging like that.

"No, I'm joking!" He burst out into a broad grin. "Of course I'm going. I could use a break from my book for a night."

Brian heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I was starting to worry that you'd become obsessed again."

"No, Ben keeps a close eye on me. If I go over my limit, he really cracks the whip."

"Ooh, Mikey, I never knew you were into leather."

"Everyone has their secrets."

"Now that's the Michael I know and love. So, are you ready to go?" Brian asked.

"Not completely."

"Then get your ass ready. Both of you."

"It's best to just listen to him," Justin advised. "He doesn't like it when he's disobeyed."

"Are you speaking from experience?" Michael teased.

"You have no idea."

"Hurry up, we're going to be late," Brian interjected.

As Brian pulled up outside Babylon, he let out a small whistle. The alley was packed with men waiting to get into the club. The line went all the way down the block and curved around the corner. Babylon hadn't been this packed since Madonna had performed there_. Those dancing boys must be really hot,_ Brian mused. "Let's get in before it gets too crowded in there."

"Are they going to just let us in?" Michael asked.

"Ted will vouch for us," Justin assured him.

"If he's even out here," Ben pointed out.

"If not, Kevin's still working as the bouncer, he won't turn me away," Brian said confidently.

Together, they crossed the street and approached the crowded doors. "Hey, guys," Emmett called, waving excitedly.

"What are you doing out here?" Brian asked. It was freezing outside and the last place he had expected to find Emmett was standing outside of Babylon. He might get cold.

"Teddy put me on door duty," Emmett explained. He turned to Michael. "I'm so glad you made it, sweetie. I was worried that you'd stand us up."

"Never," Michael replied, feeling guilty. Had he really been that reclusive since starting his book that all of his friends thought that he wouldn't come to Ted's party? Maybe he needed to cut back even more on the hours he worked on his book.

"Let's go in," Emmett said, waving them past the bouncer. "It's freezing out here."

"Don't you have to stay and watch the door?" Justin asked.

"Teddy will manage without me. And now that you guys are here, there's no reason for me to stand guard anymore. Everyone else can wait their turn."

They went in and through the scant light Brian spotted Ted and Blake by the bar. The others followed his gaze and they moved en masse toward the bar. "Congratulations, Theodore," Brian said, smiling tightly. "You didn't do half bad." He looked over at the dancers. Emmett hadn't been kidding when he'd said that they were hot. If he weren't happily married to Justin, he definitely would have taken both of them into the back room and fucked them.

"Thanks, Bri. You won't believe how much I've made so far, and we haven't even been open for ten minutes! And it's all thanks to Emmett."

"Hold your applause," Emmett joked. Calvin came up behind him and kissed the back of his neck. "Would you excuse us?" Emmett asked. "We're going to go christen the back room."

"Sure." Ted shook his head, laughing. Leave it to Emmett.

"I'm really proud of you, Ted," Michael said, moving closer so that he could be heard over the music. "I'm sorry if it seems like I've been blowing you off lately."

"Don't worry about it, Michael." Ted smiled warmly. "What matters is that you're here now. That book might control your life, but in the end, you came through for me."

"I always will." Michael hugged Ted tightly.

Justin looked around. "It looks really nice in here," he noted. Someone had put the red carpet that had been used for Madonna's show down. They had also added new lights to enhance the mood.

"Yeah, Emmett came in and worked a little of his magic. That's twice now he's saved my ass. I don't know how he does it."

"Saves your ass?"

"No, comes up with all of his energy. Between work, the gym, hanging out with us, and spending time with Calvin, I'm surprised he finds time to sleep."

"And fuck," Brian added.

"How could I forget that?" Ted asked sardonically. "That's more important than anything else."

Brian rolled his eyes. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to dance. Anyone care to join me?"

"I will," Justin replied, grinning.

"Sure," Michael said, grabbing Ben's hand. "Let's do it."

"What do you say?" Ted asked Blake. "Are you up for a dance?"

"Of course." He smiled and accepted Ted's hand. "I still can't believe the turnout."

"Me neither. I think I've already made back half of what I've lost in the past month."

"I really proud of you."

"Thanks." Ted kissed Blake's forehead. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

"Enough with the love crap, let's dance," Brian interjected, leaning in.

"You heard the man," Blake said, laughing. "Let's dance."

Emmett and Calvin came out of the back room and joined them. "That was fast," Brian said, grinning mischievously.

"Well, not all of us can go forever like you, Brian," Emmett shot back. "Some of us like to keep it short and sweet every now and then. Right, baby?" He turned to Calvin.

"Right."

"Oh, I love this song!" Emmett exclaimed as the song changed. He started to dance, the others watching him. "Come on, guys! Don't just stand there, dance!" After a second, they formed a circle and let the music overtake them.

Babylon had survived being closed down––more than once–– and a bombing. No matter what, it would always be there.

The following afternoon, Brian brought the luggage down to the car. They had a few hours before their flight, but he didn't want to be scrambling around at the last minute. "That was some party last night," Justin said, coming down the stairs behind him. They had gotten home very late the night before and slept in past noon. The party at Babylon had never ended.

"Yeah. Who knew that Ted had it in him?" Brian replied.

"Be nice."

"I am being nice. I didn't think that he'd be able to resurrect Babylon. I'm glad I was wrong."

"Me, too. I don't know what we'd do without Babylon."

"We'd be reduced to fucking here and in the cars.

"And in the office."

Brian laughed. "Are you all ready to go?"

"Almost. I just have to finish getting my toothbrush and stuff." He smiled at Brian. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"For going out of your way to make me happy. For working your ass off all week at work so that you could please me."

"You don't have to thank me," Brian insisted. "I did it because I love you."

"I know." Justin nodded emphatically. "I just hope that one day I'm in a position to do the same for you."

"You already have." Brian's lips tugged into a smile. "So I guess we're even."

"I doubt that."

"Well, we have a week in New York all to ourselves. I'm sure you'll come up with some way of expressing your gratitude."

"I'm sure I will." Justin put his arms around Brian's waist.

Brian cleared his throat. "Well, I don't know about you, but I could use a little relaxation before our flight."

"What did you have in mind?" Justin asked innocently, raising his eyebrows.

"I think you have a pretty good idea." Brian pulled off his shirt and threw it onto the ground. "What do you say?"

"Let's do it."

"I was hoping you'd day that." Brian undid his belt and let his pants drop to the floor. "Where do you want to do it?"

"Everywhere," Justin said, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"I've created a monster," Brian teased.

Justin stripped naked and looked up at Brian. "Well, are you going to fuck me or not?" he asked silkily. He reached down and grabbed his dick, stroking it seductively.

"Oh, yeah." Brian pulled Justin to him, kissing him. His kisses grew hungrier as he slipped in.

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin arrive in the Big Apple. But while Justin's at the museum setting up for his exhibit, Brian meets up with a mysterious guy.

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** With the turnout at Babylon dwindling with each night, Ted began to make plans to shut it down. But when Emmett offered to help by hiring new go-go boys, Ted was willing to give it a try, not wanting to haveto shut down his safe haven.

Jackson asked Justin to come to New York a week early to help set up for the exhibit, but Justin refused to go without Brian, who managed to work all of his meetings into the same week so that he could go with Justin.

Chapter One Hundred

"Brian?"

Brian rinsed the blade of his razor. "Yeah?" Justin had been banging around in the bedroom for the past few minutes. They had just gotten out of the shower after making love and Justin had immediately gone to find something to wear to Ted's soiree. Apparently, Ted was re-opening Babylon, hoping to bring the customers back and had invited them all to the party. He looked at himself in the mirror to make sure he hadn't missed any spots.

"Have you seen that Prada shirt that you bought for me in Italy?" Justin came back into the bathroom, frowning pensively. "It was hanging in the closet."

"That's what you're going to wear to Ted's party? You'll be the hottest fag there."

"Aw, thanks." Justin smiled. "But I can't wear it if I don't know where it is. I've looked all over and I can't find it anywhere."

"I know." While Justin had been at the grocery store the day before, Brian had packed for their trip. Their flight was the following evening and Brian hadn't even told Justin yet. He figured it was best to wait as long as possible, that way he couldn't argue.

Justin arched an eyebrow. "You know?" he repeated. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I packed it up," Brian explained, wiping the shaving cream residue off of his face.

"Packed it up for what? We're not moving again, are we?" He laughed sarcastically.

"For the trip."

"What trip?" Justin crossed his arms over his chest. "I told you that I'm not going."

"Well you are, so tough." Brian smiled deviously. He loved it when Justin got indignant.

"I'm not going without you," Justin reiterated.

"You're not. I'm coming with you."

"How? I told you not to take time off work." Justin felt a wave of guilt wash over him. Brian was always going out of his way for him. And it made him feel bad to know that he could never repay Brian for his countless generosity.

Brian let the towel that he had wrapped around his waist fall to the floor. Justin couldn't help but glance over at Brian's cock and smile.. "I took care of everything," Brian assured him. "Ted is taking over my meetings for me––everything's done. There's no reason for me to go to work at all next week, so I'm free to go with you."

"Is that why you've been so busy all week?" Brian nodded. "If I didn't love you so much, I'd be furious."

"I guess I got lucky then, huh?"

"You know, if you keep spoiling me like this I'm going to get used to it," Justin teased, smiling.

"That's the point." Brian leaned down and pressed his lips against Justin's. "I want you to get used to it so you'll stop feeling bad every time I do something for you."

"So, when are we going?"

"We leave tomorrow night. We're already packed and I've booked the flight. All we have to do is get to the airport."

"Tomorrow night? When were you planning on telling me?"

"Eventually." Brian shrugged.

"Or were you going to blindfold me like you did last time?"

"That trick only works once. Now, go get dressed, we have a stop to make on the way."

"Where?" Justin asked, toweling his chest dry.

"Michael and Ben's."

"They need a ride?"

"I don't know why Ben won't just buy a car. As much as he much works out, he doesn't have to worry about being active. Plus, it's fucking freezing out there, if they ride their bikes, they're going to catch pneumonia."

"It would be bad enough to catch pneumonia when you're completely healthy, but with Ben being positive..."

"That's why we're picking them up. So we're taking your car."

Brian finished drying himself off and opened up the door to the closet, trying to decide what to wear. He slipped on a pair of jeans, checking himself out in the mirror. Hot. Flipping through his vast collection of shirts, he chewed his lip. The problem with having so many clothes was picking out a single ensemble. He picked out a black button up shirt. "What do you think about this one?" he asked Justin, who had come back into the bedroom to find a pair of socks.

"That one's nice. It makes you look even hotter than you normally do."

"Thanks." Brian buttoned the shirt up. "Now I just need to do my hair and we can go."

"I'll be here," Justin promised.

A few minutes later, they were in the car. "So, Ted's re-opening Babylon?" Justin asked confusedly.

"He thinks it'll draw more customers in. Obviously he didn't learn anything from the last time. I had to pay people to come to Babylon before the crowds came rushing back," Brian reminded him. "I don't really think Ted can afford to follow my example."

"I heard that the new go-go boys are really hot," Justin mused. "Do you think that that will be enough to restore Babylon to its former glory?"

"For our sake, I hope so. If he doesn't figure something out, Babylon will become a mall. Then where will we go to party?"

"Meathook?" Justin suggested.

"Yeah. Right." Brian shook his head. He'd only been to Meathook a few times and hadn't really enjoyed himself. He liked a little leather now and then, but the whole S & M thing wasn't really his scene. He would much rather go to Babylon and meet regular guys.

Justin nodded. His mind wandered for a second and suddenly he remembered something that he had been meaning to tell Brian all day. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. I think I've decided on a baby name." He felt his heart flitter at the idea.

"What did you come up with?" Brian asked, quickly glancing over at Justin.

"Kaya"

"Kaya," Brian repeated, testing the name out. It might not have been a name that he himself would have come up with, but it had a nice ring to it.

"Kaya Melanie Taylor-Kinney. What do you think?"

"Not bad." He shrugged. "I like it. Well, except for the middle name. Kaya Melanie sounds kind of weird."

"I promised Mel, remember?"

"If you want our daughter to be called Kaya Melanie, then go right ahead. I won't stop you."

"Then you can explain to Mel why I broke my promise."

"Why me? I don't want her pissed off at me."

"Because you're the one who doesn't like it."

"Fine, we can keep Melanie."

Justin nodded triumphantly. "I just hope that Daphne doesn't go into labor while we're gone. We can't miss it, Brian."

Brian squeezed Justin's hand. "We won't," he promised. "If Daphne starts to go into labor, she'll call us right away and we'll be on the first plane back."

"At least we wouldn't have to drive back. By the time we got here, it would most likely be over."

"I won't let that happen. I promise." Brian hoped that it was a promise he could actually keep. He'd never forgive himself if he broke it.

"I can't wait to see our daughter," Justin said, smiling. "She's going to be so beautiful."

"Yes, she is. Too bad she won't have your blonde hair, then she'd be even more beautiful."

"It's too bad that she won't look like both of us," Justin corrected. "Then she'd be the most gorgeous person ever born."

"After you."

"If you say so." Justin leaned over and rested his head on Brian's shoulder.

When they got to Michael and Ben's house, Brian cut the engine. "Are you coming in or do you want to stay in here?"

"I'll come with you," Justin replied, unfastening his seatbelt. "Someone has to be the voice of reason."

"Voice of reason my ass." They got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Brian rang the doorbell and waited.

"Hey," Ben said, opening the door. "We weren't expecting to see you guys yet."

"Where's your wife?" Brian asked, looking past Ben.

"He's in the living room. Aren't you guys going to be late for Ted's re-opening thing?"

"Not if you and Mikey hurry up and get ready."

"Let me get Michael." Ben called for Michael and opened the door wider so that Brian and Justin could come in.

Michael came around the corner and froze. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

"We came to take you to the party," Brian explained, tossing Michael's coat to him. "Let's go."

"I'm not going," Michael replied. "I have a lot of work to do. Ted will understand."

"You're seriously going to let Ted down? That's not like you, Mikey."

"You're kidding, right?" Justin cut in. There was no way that Michael would normally leave Ted hanging like that.

"No, I'm joking!" He burst out into a broad grin. "Of course I'm going. I could use a break from my book for a night."

Brian heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I was starting to worry that you'd become obsessed again."

"No, Ben keeps a close eye on me. If I go over my limit, he really cracks the whip."

"Ooh, Mikey, I never knew you were into leather."

"Everyone has their secrets."

"Now that's the Michael I know and love. So, are you ready to go?" Brian asked.

"Not completely."

"Then get your ass ready. Both of you."

"It's best to just listen to him," Justin advised. "He doesn't like it when he's disobeyed."

"Are you speaking from experience?" Michael teased.

"You have no idea."

"Hurry up, we're going to be late," Brian interjected.

As Brian pulled up outside Babylon, he let out a small whistle. The alley was packed with men waiting to get into the club. The line went all the way down the block and curved around the corner. Babylon hadn't been this packed since Madonna had performed there_. Those dancing boys must be really hot,_ Brian mused. "Let's get in before it gets too crowded in there."

"Are they going to just let us in?" Michael asked.

"Ted will vouch for us," Justin assured him.

"If he's even out here," Ben pointed out.

"If not, Kevin's still working as the bouncer, he won't turn me away," Brian said confidently.

Together, they crossed the street and approached the crowded doors. "Hey, guys," Emmett called, waving excitedly.

"What are you doing out here?" Brian asked. It was freezing outside and the last place he had expected to find Emmett was standing outside of Babylon. He might get cold.

"Teddy put me on door duty," Emmett explained. He turned to Michael. "I'm so glad you made it, sweetie. I was worried that you'd stand us up."

"Never," Michael replied, feeling guilty. Had he really been that reclusive since starting his book that all of his friends thought that he wouldn't come to Ted's party? Maybe he needed to cut back even more on the hours he worked on his book.

"Let's go in," Emmett said, waving them past the bouncer. "It's freezing out here."

"Don't you have to stay and watch the door?" Justin asked.

"Teddy will manage without me. And now that you guys are here, there's no reason for me to stand guard anymore. Everyone else can wait their turn."

They went in and through the scant light Brian spotted Ted and Blake by the bar. The others followed his gaze and they moved en masse toward the bar. "Congratulations, Theodore," Brian said, smiling tightly. "You didn't do half bad." He looked over at the dancers. Emmett hadn't been kidding when he'd said that they were hot. If he weren't happily married to Justin, he definitely would have taken both of them into the back room and fucked them.

"Thanks, Bri. You won't believe how much I've made so far, and we haven't even been open for ten minutes! And it's all thanks to Emmett."

"Hold your applause," Emmett joked. Calvin came up behind him and kissed the back of his neck. "Would you excuse us?" Emmett asked. "We're going to go christen the back room."

"Sure." Ted shook his head, laughing. Leave it to Emmett.

"I'm really proud of you, Ted," Michael said, moving closer so that he could be heard over the music. "I'm sorry if it seems like I've been blowing you off lately."

"Don't worry about it, Michael." Ted smiled warmly. "What matters is that you're here now. That book might control your life, but in the end, you came through for me."

"I always will." Michael hugged Ted tightly.

Justin looked around. "It looks really nice in here," he noted. Someone had put the red carpet that had been used for Madonna's show down. They had also added new lights to enhance the mood.

"Yeah, Emmett came in and worked a little of his magic. That's twice now he's saved my ass. I don't know how he does it."

"Saves your ass?"

"No, comes up with all of his energy. Between work, the gym, hanging out with us, and spending time with Calvin, I'm surprised he finds time to sleep."

"And fuck," Brian added.

"How could I forget that?" Ted asked sardonically. "That's more important than anything else."

Brian rolled his eyes. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to dance. Anyone care to join me?"

"I will," Justin replied, grinning.

"Sure," Michael said, grabbing Ben's hand. "Let's do it."

"What do you say?" Ted asked Blake. "Are you up for a dance?"

"Of course." He smiled and accepted Ted's hand. "I still can't believe the turnout."

"Me neither. I think I've already made back half of what I've lost in the past month."

"I really proud of you."

"Thanks." Ted kissed Blake's forehead. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

"Enough with the love crap, let's dance," Brian interjected, leaning in.

"You heard the man," Blake said, laughing. "Let's dance."

Emmett and Calvin came out of the back room and joined them. "That was fast," Brian said, grinning mischievously.

"Well, not all of us can go forever like you, Brian," Emmett shot back. "Some of us like to keep it short and sweet every now and then. Right, baby?" He turned to Calvin.

"Right."

"Oh, I love this song!" Emmett exclaimed as the song changed. He started to dance, the others watching him. "Come on, guys! Don't just stand there, dance!" After a second, they formed a circle and let the music overtake them.

Babylon had survived being closed down––more than once–– and a bombing. No matter what, it would always be there.

* * *

The following afternoon, Brian brought the luggage down to the car. They had a few hours before their flight, but he didn't want to be scrambling around at the last minute. "That was some party last night," Justin said, coming down the stairs behind him. They had gotten home very late the night before and slept in past noon. The party at Babylon had never ended.

"Yeah. Who knew that Ted had it in him?" Brian replied.

"Be nice."

"I am being nice. I didn't think that he'd be able to resurrect Babylon. I'm glad I was wrong."

"Me, too. I don't know what we'd do without Babylon."

"We'd be reduced to fucking here and in the cars.

"And in the office."

Brian laughed. "Are you all ready to go?"

"Almost. I just have to finish getting my toothbrush and stuff." He smiled at Brian. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"For going out of your way to make me happy. For working your ass off all week at work so that you could please me."

"You don't have to thank me," Brian insisted. "I did it because I love you."

"I know." Justin nodded emphatically. "I just hope that one day I'm in a position to do the same for you."

"You already have." Brian's lips tugged into a smile. "So I guess we're even."

"I doubt that."

"Well, we have a week in New York all to ourselves. I'm sure you'll come up with some way of expressing your gratitude."

"I'm sure I will." Justin put his arms around Brian's waist.

Brian cleared his throat. "Well, I don't know about you, but I could use a little relaxation before our flight."

"What did you have in mind?" Justin asked innocently, raising his eyebrows.

"I think you have a pretty good idea." Brian pulled off his shirt and threw it onto the ground. "What do you say?"

"Let's do it."

"I was hoping you'd day that." Brian undid his belt and let his pants drop to the floor. "Where do you want to do it?"

"Everywhere," Justin said, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"I've created a monster," Brian teased.

Justin stripped naked and looked up at Brian. "Well, are you going to fuck me or not?" he asked silkily. He reached down and grabbed his dick, stroking it seductively.

"Oh, yeah." Brian pulled Justin to him, kissing him. His kisses grew hungrier as he slipped in.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin arrive in the Big Apple. But while Justin's at the museum setting up for his exhibit, Brian meets up with a mysterious guy.


	103. Secrets

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Justin was asked to go to New York early sothat he could help set up for his exhibit.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Two

By the time their plane landed in New York, both Brian and Justin were about to collapse from exhaustion. They hadn't been able to fall asleep on the plane and the fact that they had been up late the night before did not help. The good news was, it was evening, so they could just go to their hotel and sleep. As they exited the airport, Brian spotted a cab driver carrying a sign. The sign said: TAYLOR. "That must be us," he said, pointing toward the sign.

"I can't believe the gallery paid for a cab. They must be rich," Justin mused, nodding at the driver, who opened the back door.

"You're definitely getting the star treatment."

"It's nice to know that I'm being appreciated." Brian arched an eyebrow. "By somebody other than you."

"Nice save."

On the way to the hotel, Justin looked out the window. _I can't believe I'm back here,_ he thought. Seeing the familiar streets brought up memories of how much he had missed Brian.

"Are you happy to be back?" Brian asked, bringing him back to reality.

"No, this place still holds bad memories for me."

"That's in the past," Brian gently reminded him.

"I guess." Justin smiled. "Are you going to go out sightseeing without me?"

"No, it wouldn't be much fun."

"How sweet." Justin nestled up against Brian. "I'll try not to be gone all day."

"Do what you have to do. I'll find ways of amusing myself."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Justin muttered.

The cab pulled up outside of the hotel and the bellhops immediately snapped to attention, grabbing the luggage from the cab's trunk. Justin leaned forward to give the driver a tip. It's all taken care of," the driver insisted, waving the money away.

"By the museum?" Just how much money were they spending on this little trip? Especially on a nobody like him?

"Yep."

"What was that you said about feeling unappreciated?" Brian murmured.

"Shut up." Justin elbowed him in the stomach. "Let's go check in."

"Whatever you say. You're the boss."

As soon as they stepped into the reception room, the bellhops went straight to the elevators. How did they know what room to go to? Brian nodded towards the front desk. The man at the front desk smiled warmly as they walked up. "Ah, you must be Mr. Taylor."

"Yes, I am..." Justin looked over at Brian confusedly. How had the receptionist known who he was? "How did you know?"

"Let's just say we were forewarned." The man stared at Justin blank faced for a few seconds before erupting into hysterical laughter.

"What's so funny?" Brian asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

"The look on your face!" The receptionist mimicked Justin's surprised expression. After a few seconds, he regained his composure. "We've been expecting you," he explained. "The museum told us that you were honored guests. We've been expecting you all day."

"Oh." Justin blushed a little. He couldn't feel farther from an honored guest.

"Here are your keys." The man handed both Brian and Justin a key. "You'll be staying in room 415."

"Thank you..." Justin squinted to see if the man was wearing a name tag. Of course he wasn't.

"Sean." The man put hand to his chest.

"Thank you, Sean."

"It's my pleasure. Whatever you need, don't hesitate to call down."

"I won't. Thanks."

Brian twined his fingers through Justin's. "Apparently you're a celebrity here," he said.

"But why? I haven't even done anything. My exhibit doesn't open until this weekend." He chewed his lip pensively.

"It's the hype," Brian explained. "Part of Jackson's job is to advertise the fuck out of your show. From what I've heard, they have fliers everywhere. The museum's supposedly going to be filled to the brim with admirers and that's not counting your honored guests."

"You're kidding!" Justin laughed in disbelief.

"Everyone's eagerly awaiting your premier. Just think, one day you'll have exhibits all over the world. You'll really be famous."

"I can't believe this is finally happening!" Justin threw his arms around Brian. This had to be a dream. Things like that just didn't happen in real life. Not to him anyway.

"You'd better believe it, cause it's true. You're going to be the next Van Gogh."

"If I start eating my paint, please stop me," Justin joked. "I don't want to go crazy."

"I'll keep an eye on you."

"Thanks."

By the time they got to their room, their bags had already been set inside. "Well, that takes care of that," Brian muttered.

"I'll hunt them down later and give them a tip," Justin promised. "But for now, how about we eat? I am starving!"

"Me, too. I'll call room service and see what's available. Unless you'd rather go out, I'm sure there's somewhere within walking distance."

"Not tonight, I'm too tired." Justin yawned. "Maybe tomorrow? I need to rest up for my big day tomorrow."

"Sure." Brian picked up the phone and called room service. "They have everything you could ever imagine," he said quietly to Justin. "So, what do you want?"

Half an hour later, they lay in bed, their food trays set aside. "I forgot how good the food was here." Justin groaned, rubbing his bloated stomach. "I've never been so full in life. And with my mom and Deb, that's an accomplishment.

"I'm going to have to find a gym tomorrow," Brian agreed. "That'll give me something to do while you're at work."

"Oh, stop it! You'll work it off before we go to bed tonight."

"What do you mean?" Brian asked innocently. "How will I ever do that?"

"Don't play coy with me. As soon as I get a quick nap, I'll be more than happy to fuck your brains out."

"I think you have that last part wrong," Brian said. "I'll be fucking your brains out."

"We'll see." He yawned again. "All right, enough talk. I need some sleep."

"Well that's no fun." Brian sighed dramatically. "I guess I'll just have to take a nap, too."

Justin set his tray down beside the bed and got under the blankets. Brian lay back and slid his arm behind Justin. "Oh, you want to cuddle. Why didn't you just say so?" Justin teased, scooting over and resting his head on Brian's chest.

"And take all of the fun out of it?"

"Good night."

"Good night." Within a few minutes, they were both asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Justin hurriedly got ready in the bathroom. He had gotten a call when he'd woken up from Jackson asking him to come in to the gallery as soon as he possibly could. Jackson wanted to get started right away so that they had more time should anything happen. A cab was waiting for him downstairs_. I'll never get used to this,_ Justin thought, smiling. His dream had finally come true: he would be a famous artist, world renowned. It would piss his father off immensely, which only made the victory sweeter.

He peered out at Brian. He felt bad about leaving him alone all day, but what could he do? The gallery didn't want any stragglers and he couldn't exactly stand them up. "What are you going to do today?" he asked Brian, who was lying in bed watching him amusedly.

"I figured I'd just stay in and watch porn. I'm interested to see how hot the porn is."

"That sounds like fun." Justin laughed. Leave it to Brian to turn to porn. At least he wasn't turning to another man. "You're going to do that all day?"

"If I get bored, I'll go check out the stores. It's been awhile since I bought clothes. The spring collections might be out."

"I'm sure you'll come back with enough to fill up our closet."

"I'll keep an eye for something you might like. Now that you're an A-Lister, it's time you started wearing more labels."

"I'm hardly an A-Lister." Justin laughed. "But I do need a suit to wear for the exhibit."

"We could always go together another time."

"I wish I could come with you. I'm sure that'll be more exciting than setting up for my show."

"It's okay." Brian smiled. "You get a lunch break, right?"

"I think so. Why?"

"If you can get away, how about we meet up for lunch?"

"That sounds great."

"Okay."

"I'll let you know if something comes up."

Justin came out the bathroom and stood right in front of Brian. "How do I look?" he asked, chewing his nervously. He wanted to make a good impression on the people at the gallery.

"Beautiful," Brian answered.

"You always say that."

"That's because it's the truth. You always look beautiful."

"Thanks." Justin climbed into the bed and straddled Brian, kissing him passionately. His phone vibrated and he sighed. "All right, I have to go. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Okay."

"Don't work too hard," Justin said sternly. "I want you to be fully energized for when I get home."

"Yes, sir."

"I love you." He leaned down and kissed Brian again.

"I love you, too. Now go. You're going to be late."

"All right."

* * *

Justin waved one last time before closing the door behind him. Brian waited a few minutes, wanting to know that Justin was really gone. When he was certain, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number that he written down back home. After a few rings, the person answered. "Hello."

"Hey. This is Brian Kinney, we spoke earlier. This is John, right?"

"Yep. You had a good flight?"

"Great. So are you available to meet me today?"

"Any time that you're ready."

"Your agency says that you're the best in the business."

"Well, I don't want to toot my own horn, but yeah, I am."

"You better be for what I'm paying you." Brian laughed. "So where do you want to meet?"

"We could meet at your hotel. I live close by."

"No, I don't think that's a good idea. Justin will get suspicious if he finds out what we're doing."

"Justin… Your partner?"

Brian cleared his throat. "Yes. My husband. We have to meet somewhere more discreet."

"He won't be joining us?"

"No, it's just going to be the two of us. He has no idea and I'd appreciate it if it stayed that way."

"Sure. I always respect my clients' privacy. This way, I can focus more on what you want." John laughed. "So, we can meet at my place in an hour or so and then see where things go?"

"Sounds good."

"Great."

"What's your address?" Brian wrote down the address as John slowly read it out to him.

"Do you have that?"

"Yeah. I'll see you in an hour."

"I look forward to it See you later."

"Bye."

Brian hung up and stared sightlessly up at the ceiling for a second. If Justin found out what he was up to, he would be upset_. He'll get over it_, Brian decided, throwing the blankets off him. _He always does_. He padded into the bathroom and took a long shower. He didn't like going behind Justin's back like this, but what choice did he have? He didn't want Justin to freak out. It was better for both Brian and Justin that he not know. For the time being at least.

After a hot shower, he brushed his teeth and got dressed before leaving the hotel. Using the directions that John had given him, Brian traversed the streets, hunching himself up to combat the biting cold. _It just has to be winter, doesn't it?_ he thought bitterly. He would have gotten a taxi, but for what it would cost him to be driven the short distance to John's building, it wasn't worth it.

When Brian got to his destination, he rang the buzzer. He was buzzed in and went up the stairs to John's apartment. As he got to John's floor, Brian hesitated before knocking. He could turn around and go home, forget all about this. _But I need to do this_. Taking a deep, calming breath, he knocked lightly on the door. Seconds later, the door opened.

"Brian?" the attractive young man asked, looking him up and down.

"Yes." Brian smiled tightly.

"Would you like to come in?" John asked, holding the door open.

"Maybe for a minute." Brian stepped into the apartment and looked around. "Nice place."

"Thanks." John shut the door. "Shall we get started?"

"Sure."

* * *

As soon as he walked into the gallery, Justin was greeted with cheers and applause. He froze. _What the hell is going on?_ he wondered. _Shouldn't they wait and see if my show does any good before they put me on a pedestal?_ Jackson came out of his office and clasped Justin's hand tightly. "Welcome!" he exclaimed, kissing both of Justin's cheeks in the traditional fashion. "It is good to see you again."

"You, too." Justin discreetly pinched his back to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. _This has got to be a dream,_ he told himself. Strangely enough, he found that it was real.

"Let us get started right away, shall we?"

"Sure." Justin followed Jackson out of the lobby and into a room with big, blank walls. "Is this it?" he asked.

"Yes. We haven't started to hang anything up yet. We want everything to be to your specifications, you are the artist after all. You get to pick where everything goes."

Justin looked around the room. It would soon be filled with his artwork––for all of the world to see. Well, all of New York, anyway. Jackson's assistant, a not so unattractive man in his early thirties came in with one of Justin's paintings in his arms. "Where would you like this?" he asked Justin, grinning.

"Uh..." _Get a hold of yourself!_ Justin chastised himself. _You're married now_. "I'll take it," he said, lifting the painting up and out of the man's arms. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." With a final seductive smile, the man turned on his heel and left.

"That's Ashe," Jackson explained. "Don't worry about him, he's harmless. He flirts with everyone."

"Oh."

"Not that I have to tell you. You and Brian have a great relationship, right?"

"We do," Justin answered, smiling. "Now, I think this painting would look good here." He held the painting up against the center of the wall closest to him. "What do you think?"

"I think you have an eye for beauty, Justin," Jackson said ominously.

"Thanks." Justin laughed.

Brian got out of the car and stretched. "That was a long car ride," he complained, massaging his neck. He and John had gotten into the car and driven all over New York.

"You'll get used to it," John replied. "So, here we are. What do you think?"

Brian looked past John to the apartment building. "It's perfect," he said, a tight smile tugging at his lips. It would be perfect for Justin. "Can we go in?"

"Sure. That's why I'm here." John unlocked the door and led Brian inside. They rode the elevator to the top floor and John led the way in. "It's reasonably priced if I do say so myself."

"You're a real estate agent, that makes you an expert," Brian assured him. "I'll take it."

"You didn't even see all of it," John protested.

"It doesn't matter. I saw what I needed to see. Besides, I need to get going. I'm meeting my husband for lunch and if I want to make it on time, we need to get going."

"Okay, I'll draw the papers up and you can sign them. How does tomorrow sound?"

"Good. Can we meet at about the same time? Justin will be at the museum."

"Sure. I assume that we'll be meeting at my place again?"

"If that's all right with you."

John nodded. "It's fine. He's a lucky man, this Justin. You must love him very much."

"I do." Brian smiled. His cell phone vibrated. "Excuse me." He turned his back on John and answered the call. "Sunshine."

"Yeah. Where are you? You're breaking up?"

"I'm in the lobby," Brian lied. "Are we still on for lunch?"

"I wouldn't miss it."

"Then why did you call?"

"I needed to hear your voice. Anyway, I have to get back to work. I love you."

"Me, too."

Brian disconnected and turned back to John. "Let's go."

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Debbie learns a secret that Lance has been hiding from her. The gang get ready to head off to New York.


	104. Bon Voyage

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Brian and Justin left for New York to set up for Justin's exhibit.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Three

Debbie slammed her foot down irritably. She had reminded Lance the night before to pack his bags for Justin's show and yet here he was, half an hour before their flight still upstairs. "Lance, hurry the fuck up!" she shouted up the stairs.

"I'm coming!" Lance shouted back, his tone angry.

"Don't take that tone with me, you hear?"

No response.

Sighing, Deb went up the stairs. Not only had Lance ignored her, he'd disrespected her. And nobody disrespected Debbie Novotny. Certainly not some little punk. She pounded on his door. "Get out here now!"

"Hold on a second," Lance said under his breath. He opened the door, holding a hand conspicuously behind his back. "I'm almost done."

"Who were you talking to?" Deb asked, peering past Lance into the bedroom.

"Talking to?" Lance asked, feigning innocence.

"I heard you say 'Hold on a second,' before you answered the door."

"Oh, that was no one. I was just talking to myself."

"Mmm hmmm." Debbie crossed her arms over her bosom, arching an eyebrow.

Lance guiltily avoided her gaze for a few seconds. When he did look into her eyes, he sighed. "I was talking to a boy," he confessed, blushing scarlet.

"A boy!" Deb exclaimed excitedly. "Why didn't you just say so?"

"It's kind of private," Lance hinted.

"Honey, you don't have any privacy in this household. Now spill, I want to know all about him." She sat down on the bed and folded one leg underneath herself.

"I'm really not comfortable discussing this..."

"Jesus fucking Christ! Just tell me!"

"His name is Jeremy."

"How did you meet?"

"At Babylon."

"Of course."

"On New Year's."

"How serious are you guys?"

Lance chewed his lip for a second. "I don't know. We've been seeing each other regularly for the past few weeks and he seems like a really great guy. There's just one thing..."

"What? Is he married?"

"No. He's...He's older than I am."

"Age is just a number." Debbie laughed. "How much older?"

"He's thirty-two."

"Oh." Deb clenched her jaw to keep it from dropping. _It's Brian and Justin all over again_. "That's not that big of a deal," she assured him.

"It's fourteen years! If someone reported him, he could go to jail for statutory rape."

"I won't tell if you won't." She reached out and playfully smacked Lance. "You're being safe, right?"

"Yes." Lance shook his head. "Jeremy is a completely afraid of getting HIV."

"Good. Cause I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"I'll be fine." He frowned. "Besides, I doubt it will go on much longer anyway."

"Why do you say that?"

"He's thirty-two, I'm seventeen, do you know how wrong that is?"

"Do you love him?"

"So much." He laughed. "I think about him all the time."

"Then who cares how much of an age gap there is? That didn't stop Brian and Justin. What matters is that you love him and he loves you. You've got to listen to your heart and do what it tells you. Otherwise you'll only regret it."

"I guess."

Debbie turned Lance's head so that they were face-to-face. "What does your heart tell you, honey?"

"It tells me...that I love him and that even if we're not together five years, ten years from now, that won't matter. What matters is the here and now. And in the here and now, I love him more than anything in the world and I know that if I don't at least give our relationship a chance, I'll be miserable."

"There's your answer," Debbie said softly, smiling.

"Thanks, Deb." Lance leaned over and wrapped his arms around her.

"You're welcome, baby. Now, come on, we've got a plane to catch."

"Can I just...?"

"You can call him in the car. Now let's go!"

"All right." Laughing, Lance grabbed his suitcase and followed Deb down to the car.

* * *

"I feel like I'm forgetting something," Michael murmured, stroking his chin. "I've got clothes, toiletries, money, ID... What am I forgetting?"

"Your dildos?" Hunter suggested snidely.

"I'll leave you in charge of the dildos," Michael shot back.

"Ew, I'm not touching those. I don't know where they've been...besides up your ass."

"Why is it every time I leave you two alone, you either bicker or talk about sex?" Ben asked, coming down the stairs.

"It's left over from my hustling days," Hunter explained with a shrug. "I've still got sex on the brain."

"I don't want to know," Michael said under his breath. "Now what am I forgetting?"

Ben clapped him on the shoulder. "Did you forget something?" He looked at his watch. They had about twenty minutes to catch their flight. Whatever it was that Michael had forgotten, he'd better get it before they missed their plane.

"I can't figure out what," Michael confessed.

"Well, you better hurry," Hunter warned him. "The cab's out front waiting."

"Thanks, that's really helping."

"Come on, let's do one more walk through upstairs and see if we can't jog your memory." Ben took Michael and led him up the stairs.

"I feel like an old man," Michael whined. "Next thing you know, I'll be forgetting where the keys are."

"You have a long time before you even need to start worrying about that," Ben assured him.

They went into the bedroom and Michael scanned the room, frowning. Whatever it was, it wasn't in the bedroom. They moved on to the bathroom––still nothing. "Let's just forget it," Michael said dejectedly. "It isn't worth missing our plane over."

"Well, we can't say we didn't try, right?"

"Right." Michael smiled and leaned against Ben.

"Will you two hurry the fuck up!" Hunter exclaimed. "I really don't feel like listening to Grandma bitch for the whole plane ride about how you guys were almost late."

"All right, we're coming," Michael replied, rolling his eyes. Sometimes he wondered if Hunter weren't Debbie's long lost son. They certainly had a lot more in common temperament wise than he and Debbie did.

Taking one last look around the living room, Michael followed Ben and Hunter out to the car. As soon as he got in and buckled his seatbelt, it came to him. The card! He'd gotten a card for Justin congratulating him on his accomplishment. "Hold on!" he cried, jumping out of the car and running back into the house. He hurriedly looked around the living room, desperate to find the card. The horn beeped. Hunter must have leaned forward and honked it. "Hold on!" Michael jogged into the kitchen and started to rifle through his drawer. Through the endless pile of bills and junk mail, he found it. Laughing with relief, he ran back out to the car and got in. "I found it!"

"You went back in the house for a fucking card!" Hunter scoffed. "Like they don't sell cards in New York?"

"This one is special," Michael lied. "Now we can go."

"Are you sure you've got everything?" Ben asked warily.

"Yes. I'm sure."

"Really?"

"Quit trying to psyche me out!"

Michael's cell phone went off. "Christ," he muttered.

"Let me guess, it's your mother," Ben said, not looking away from the scenery.

"What are you, psychic? I wonder what she wants," he said sarcastically. "Hello."

"Michael? Where are you?"

"We're on our way, Ma."

"Okay, honey, I just wanted to make sure. I'll see you in a bit."

"Yeah." Michael hung up and arched an eyebrow. "She's in a good mood," he noted.

"What does that mean?" Ben asked.

"Who knows? I was waiting for her to bite my head off, but she didn't. Something must be up."

"Well, we'll find out soon enough.

"Yay."

"Oh come on. Shouldn't you be happy that your mother is in a good mood? It means she won't be nagging you."

"I know, but I'm curious about what got her into such a good mood."

"Maybe she and Carl fucked last night," Hunter suggested.

Michael gagged. "I did not need that image in my mind thank you very much."

"Well, what else would make her all happy?"

"I'm sure that's not it," Michael insisted. "Maybe she won the lottery or something."

"Yeah, right." Hunter laughed.

"How about we rein it in?" Ben suggested, ever the mediator.

"Fine. I can't wait to see New York again."

"Again?" Ben looked over at Michael. "When did you go there?"

"I went there about five years ago. Justin forgot to set the alarm and Brian's loft got robbed. Brian kicked Justin out and he ran away to New York. Emmett, Ted, and I went with Brian to get Justin back."

"Oh."

"I can't wait to actually see it."

"You're going to love it. Its possibilities are infinite."

* * *

"Have you seen my furry boots?" Emmett asked, digging deep into the closet.

"The white ones?" Calvin replied.

"Yeah. I wanted to wear them. I hear winter in New York is fabulous."

"They're right here." Emmett turned around and sighed.

"Thank God. I did not want to have to go without them. I can't attend the chic opening of a new artist without looking my best, can I?"

"No." Calvin laughed. "I wish I could come with you."

"It's not your fault. I just can't believe they're sending you out to Detroit."

"Yeah, I don't know where that came from. They said something about wanting me to meet the people at the home office." He shrugged.

"Well, we'll certainly miss you."

"You'll give Justin my apologies, right?"

"Of course. He'll understand that you had to work."

"I don't want him to think I didn't care. It couldn't be further from the truth. I owe him everything."

"What do you mean?"

"He's the one that's responsible for us getting back together."

"He is?"

"Yeah." Calvin chewed his lip. "He came to me and talked me into the going to the wedding."

Emmett was silent for a moment. He had always assumed that Calvin had come to the wedding to see him. He wasn't hurt that Calvin had needed to be persuaded to go, but he would have at least liked to have known earlier, if for no other reason that so that he could thank Justin for fixing his fuck up. "I had no idea," he confessed. If it weren't for Justin, he'd still be unhappily single. He owed that boy so much it wasn't even funny.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I'm fine. I just wish you'd told me sooner. I owe Justin a big thank you. But don't worry about it." He smiled. "I'm going to miss you," he repeated.

"I'm gonna miss you, too." Calvin leaned down and kissed Emmett. "Promise you'll think about me when you're in bed at night?"

"I promise. Will you think of me when you're alone in bed at night?"

"Of course!

Emmett pulled back. "I have to hurry up and get these down stairs, the cab's almost here." He nodded toward his pile of luggage by the door.

"Just how many changes of clothes do you need for a weekend getaway?" Calvin asked, chuckling.

"You never know what you're going to encounter." Emmett opened up the nearest bag and shoved the furry boots inside. "I have at least one outfit for every occasion, every kind of weather...you name it."

"Now I know why we never go away," Calvin teased.

"Ha ha." A horn honked outside. "Oh, that's my cab. I have to get going. I love you." He kissed Calvin's cheek. "I'll see you Sunday night."

"Bon voyage."

"Thanks!" Emmett blew Calvin another kiss. "Bye."

"Bye."

He lugged his suitcases down to the street and waved at the driver, who jumped to help him. "Going away?" the driver asked, laughing.

"You could say that."

"So, where to?"

"The airport." As the car drove away, Emmett cast one last look back. From their window, Calvin sadly waved him off.

* * *

Lindsay rushed through the door, breathing heavily. "We made it," she managed.

"You did." Melanie gave her a quick kiss and knelt down. "Hey, Gus."

"Hi, Mommy." Gus smiled up at her.

"I'm sorry we're late," Lindsay apologized. "Gus's teacher wanted to talk to me about something and before I knew it, we were fifteen minutes behind schedule."

"That's okay. Do we have everything?" Mel asked.

"I packed last night. So we should be set to go."

"I'm so glad that I got all of my work finished. If I had to go over one more deposition this week, I was going to go out of my mind." She laughed.

"Yeah, it'll be nice to spend some time together," Lindsay replied with a glint in her eye. "Is JR still taking her nap?"

"Yeah, I'm going to wait until right before we leave to wake her. That way, she'll still be on schedule."

Lindsay nodded. "Gus, why don't you go and get your stuff? You don't want to forget anything, do you?"

"No," Gus replied, running up the stairs.

"He's so excited to go to Justin's show," Lindsay said. "He loves spending time with them."

"I cannot wait until JR is old enough to go and spend more time with Michael and Ben. Then we can have the house to ourselves."

"I'd like that." Lindsay slipped her arms around Melanie's waist. "It would be nice to go out on a date every now and then."

"I'll tell you what. The next time Gus goes to see Brian and Justin, we'll go out."

"What about JR?"

"I'll leave her with Jeanie. I'm sure she won't mind."

"I love you."

"I love you, too." Melanie pressed her lips against Lindsay's, her tongue gently pushing itself into Lindsay's mouth.

Gus came down the stairs and stopped. "I'm ready," he said, causing both Mel and Linz to jump.

"Okay Gus. Let's get the car loaded up," Melanie suggested, winking at Lindsay." Gus followed her outside.

"I'll go get the rest of the bags," Lindsay muttered to herself. She went up the stairs and opened the door to the nursery a crack. Peering in, she saw JR sitting up in her crib. "Hey, honey," she cooed, lifting JR up into her arms. "You're such a big girl." JR smiled and nestled up against Lindsay's chest. _I guess I'll have to go get Mel_, Linz decided_. I can't carry JR and all of our bags downstairs_. She went back downstairs and opened the front door. "JR's up," she said.

"There's my little sweetie," Melanie said softly, taking JR from Lindsay's arms.

"I'm going to bring the bags down," Lindsay told her, disappearing back up the stairs.

A few minutes later, she'd brought done all of the bags. "Thanks Linz." Mel set the baby down. "I'll get the car packed up. Will you keep an eye on JR?"

"Of course." Lindsay sat down on the couch and straightened the magazines under the coffee table. She looked up at the clock and bit her lip. _In a few hours, I'll be in New York_! she thought excitedly. There wouldn't be time to go the Guggenheim or see a play, but still, she could at least say that she'd been there. And she was so proud of Justin for getting his career jump started. He's going to be so big one day.

Melanie finished loading the car and came back inside. "Ready?" she asked, helping JR into her coat.

"I'm ready." Shrugging into her coat, Lindsay followed Melanie out. New York was waiting.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian reveals his secret. Justin gets a call from Daphne.


	105. Brian's Surprise

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin went to New York to prepare for Justin's exhibit.

Brian snuck out and got a surprise for Justin.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Four

Justin glanced up at the clock. It was six o'clock in the evening––he'd been at the gallery since seven in the morning. He wanted nothing more than to go home, snuggle up with Brian, and sleep. Pretty much all he'd done since coming to New York was work. _You insisted on doing everything yourself_, he thought sourly. _Now you're paying the price._

Justin had been in New York for just over a week and in that time, he had managed to get the majority of his display set up and perfected. He'd thought that the art show Brian had held for him at their house was big, but this was even bigger. Everything depended on pulling off this show. If he screwed this up, he might as well kiss his art career goodbye. "This better work," he said under his breath.

"You look tired," Jackson noted, coming into the room. Justin jumped. The other employees had left about an hour earlier, so he'd had the place to himself––or so he'd thought.

"I am," Justin confessed, stifling a yawn. "I never imagined it would be so much work."

"Ah, but it will be worth it in the end. When you're a world renowned artist, you'll look back on these early days and laugh." To accentuate his point, Jackson spluttered with laughter.

"I can't believe we're opening tomorrow." Justin sighed. He could already feel the nervous knots forming in his stomach.

Jackson smiled. "You will do just fine. I know it." He crouched down beside Justin. "Your work is very promising. Have a little more faith in yourself."

"That's what Brian says."

"He's right." Jackson suddenly leaned forward confidentially. "I have good news."

"What?"

"I've talked it over with the board, and we would like to give you a permanent spot here at the gallery."

"You mean like, a permanent exhibit?" Justin asked.

"Yes. Your work has been such a hit already that we would be foolish to let you go."

"My work hasn't been displayed yet," Justin reminded him, licking his very dry lips.

"That doesn't matter. People are dying to get in here for the premier tomorrow night."

"That's what I've heard."

"So you'll do it?" Jackson looked over at Justin hopefully.

"I have to think about it." Justin's mind was racing. How could his career be so hot already? It was not possible.

"Take as much time as you need. Well, not too long, we want to start advertising it after the weekend."

Justin nodded. "What would it entail exactly?" he asked. "Would I have to stay here?"

"No, not at all. You could come and go as you pleased. In fact, after this weekend, you don't have to be here if you don't want to. It's all up to you."

"I'll have to talk it over with Brian."

"I think that's a good idea. See what he says. Brian is a very intelligent man."

"Yeah."

"Now, why don't you go home for the evening, hm? You and Brian go out to dinner and celebrate. You must be missing him."

"I am. I feel like I haven't seen him in weeks."

"Then go to him."

"You don't need to tell me twice." Justin slipped his coat on and turned back to Jackson. "I just want to say thank you, for all that you've done for me."

"It was my pleasure."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"You don't have to come in until tomorrow evening," Jackson added.

Justin smiled and hurried out to the waiting cab. In the past week, he had gotten used to having a car waiting for him wherever he went. He was actually kind of enjoying the star treatment. "Where to, Mr. Taylor?" the driver asked.

"The hotel please," Justin replied, settling into the seat. He closed his eyes for what felt like a few seconds, but he must have dozed off. The next thing he knew, the driver was lightly knocking on the window.

"We're here, Mr. Taylor."

"Thanks." Justin stretched his cramped muscles and got out of the car. He tried to hand the driver a tip, but the man waved it off. _I'll find a way,_ Justin promised himself.

He went into the hotel lobby and went straight for the elevators. He was in a hurry to get upstairs and tell Brian the news. He hadn't exactly made up his mind to take Jackson's offer, but he'd be a fool not to, and he was sure that Brian would agree with him. Stepping out of the elevator, he went down the hall to the room. He unlocked the door and went in. The lights were off and there were no sounds coming from within. Brian couldn't be sleeping already, could he?

"Brian?" he called, flipping the nearest light switch.

No answer.

Justin looked around the room, trying to find a note or something from Brian. There was nothing on the table or the bedside stands. Justin noted that Brian's coat and shoes were gone. _He must've gone out,_ he decided, lying back on the bed. He grabbed Brian's pillow and held it close to his chest, wishing that it were Brian he was holding on to and not a pillow. After a few minutes, his eye lids started to grow heavy and even though he fought against the sleep, in the end he lost.

Justin was awoken by the sound of the door quietly clicking closed. _That must be Brian_. He sat up and squinted as Brian turned on the light. "Sorry, did I wake you?" Brian asked, shirking off his coat.

"It's okay. If I go to bed now, I'll be up all night. Besides, I wanted to spend some time with you."

"Well, here I am." Brian sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled his shoes off, grunting with the effort. "I wasn't expecting you back yet."

"Jackson let me go early."

"That was nice of him."

"Did you go out?" Justin asked, tracing his foot up and down Brian's back sensually.

"Uh…yeah. I got a little stir crazy in here so I decided to go out for a walk. Check out the stores."

"You didn't buy anything?"

"I forgot my wallet," Brian lied.

"I have some good news."

Brian turned around to face Justin. "What?" he asked, his lips tugging into a smile.

"I talked to Jackson today and he said that he would like to make my exhibit here permanent," Justin replied, grinning excitedly.

"That's great!" Brian leaned back on the bed and kissed Justin. With his tongue, he gently parted Justin's lips, stroking his teeth. "I'm so proud of you." As the kiss grew more intense, Brian felt his erection growing, digging into Justin's hip. It had been a few days since they had last had sex; Justin had been spending more and more time at the gallery, getting home late. He would come in half awake and fall into bed, curling up in Brian's arms. But tonight, he seemed to be up for it.

Brian reached into the front of Justin's pants and stroked the bulge he found. A small, pleasurable sigh escaped Justin's lips. "I've missed you," Brian panted, moving his hand faster.

"I missed you, too." Justin moaned again and closed his eyes. He chewed his lip to keep from alerting the neighbors. As Brian moved his hand even faster, Justin climaxed, a smile tugging at his lips. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You're welcome." Brian lay down next to Justin and nuzzled the back of his neck with his nose.

"It's your turn," Justin declared, shifting down.

"It can wait," Brian protested. "You have to eat something."

"You sound like my mother." Justin laughed.

"For me?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Okay." He sighed. "Do you want to go out or order in?"

"I don't care, it doesn't matter to me."

"I don't know if I have enough energy to go out," Justin confessed.

"Then we'll order in. We can get some of those éclairs that you love so much."

"Mmm sounds good."

Brian called room service and ordered the food. "They said it would be right up," he said, lying back down.

"How about we do something while we wait?" Justin asked, eyes sparkling mischievously.

"What exactly did you have in mind?" Brian asked.

"Something you're going to love." Justin moved down to the foot of the bed and started to undo Brian's belt. "How's this?"

"Good." Brian smiled as his pants were yanked down, exposing his huge erection. He couldn't remember the last time that he'd been so horny. Hopefully if Justin took the offer, this wouldn't become a regular occurrence: him off on his own all the time. Though, with the baby due soon, Justin could hardly go away for extended periods of time, so Brian didn't have too much to worry about. At least now, they had their own place so that the whole family could come and stay when Justin was needed there.

Justin kissed a slow, sensual trail down Brian's belly, causing Brian to arch his back expectantly. As he continued downward, he gripped Brian's erection in his hand and slipped it into his mouth. Brian immediately sighed, already lost amidst a sea of pleasure. He had definitely taught Justin well. As Justin kept on what he was doing, Brian reached down and clasped a tuft of Justin's golden hair in his hand, squeezing as the delectation washed over him, screaming through his nerve-endings. Unable to hold back any more, he clenched the bed sheet with a white-knuckled grip and allowed himself to cum.

Brian closed his eyes for a second and reveled in the euphoria that rushed through his bloodstream. "That was fucking hot," he murmured, lifting his arm so that Justin could lie close to him.

"I learned from the best." Justin grinned at Brian and rested on his chest. He could feel Brian's pulse hammering away through the skin and muscle. It was oddly comforting.

"We should do this more often," Brian joked.

"What?"

"Have amazing sex in New York."

"Yeah. We're going to come back here for the sole purpose of fucking. Even you couldn't afford that."

"You never know, I might surprise you,' Brian replied mysteriously. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I don't know. Jackson told me that I don't have to come in until the evening. Why, is there something you want to do?"

"How about we go out?"

"Out? Where?"

"It's a surprise?"

"You and your surprises." Justin shook his head with mock disappointment. "What am I going to do with you?"

"So what do you say? You, me, and New York?" Brian pressed, lighting up a cigarette.

"Sounds good to me. I could use a little time to relax and have fun."

"I thought that's what we were doing?" Brian teased.

"We are. But I mean in a less...physical way."

"I see." Brian laughed. "Well, it takes a little awhile to get there from here. So if we leave early enough, we can spend some time there before you have to be back."

"How do you know just how long it takes to get to wherever it is we're going?" Justin queried, resting his head in his palm.

"I Googled it," Brian said simply.

"Oh." Justin smiled. "Good thinking."

There a soft tap at the door and Brian sighed. "That must be room service." He rolled out of the bed and threw on his bathrobe. He opened the door and took the cart from the server. "Thanks." He shut the door and took the trays over to the bed. "How about we eat our dinner and then afterwards, fuck so hard and loud that we wake up everyone on the floor?"

"Sounds good to me." Justin took his food from Brian and settled back into the bed. "I'm really glad that you decided to come with me."

"Me, too. I'd be bored out my fucking mind back home. My dick would probably be raw from jerking off too much."

"Ever the romantic." Justin kissed Brian on the cheek. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, lost. "We'd better eat before our food gets cold," Justin said finally, tearing his gaze away."

"Good idea."

* * *

The next day, Justin had just gotten out the shower when his cell phone rang. _It better not be the gallery again,_ he thought acidly. He was really looking forward to spending the day with Brian and if he had to cancel, he would be furious. Digging the phone out of his pocket, he flipped it around. The screen read: DAPHNE. _Oh shit!_ "Brian!" he yelled, tearing open the bathroom door.

"What!" Brian exclaimed, jumping up from the bed.

"It's Daphne." Justin pointed at the phone.

"Answer it!"

"Hello?" Justin tried to keep his voice even despite the fact that his heart was pounding against his rib cage.

"Justin." Daphne sounded calm. Was that good or bad?

"Yeah. What's going on? Are you in labor?"

"No." Justin heaved a sigh of relief.

"You scared the shit out of me, Daph!"

"I'm sorry, I should've thought of that."

"It's okay. So, what's up?" He looked over at Brian and shook his head.

"Well, I'm missing your show and I just wanted to congratulate you and say that I wish I was there and that I know you'll...break a leg or whatever it is that artists do."

"Thanks Daph." Justin smiled even though Daphne wouldn't be able to see it. "So, how are you doing?

Daphne groaned. "I am sore all over my body, every time I get a cramp, I panic and think I'm going into labor, and I can barely walk around my apartment anymore."

"That sounds tough."

"It is."

"The good news is, soon enough that will all change."

"Thanks for reminding me. More pain."

"You'll be fine, Daphne. If anyone can make it through labor, it's you."

"I'm glad that you're so sure."

Brian signaled to Justin that they needed to get going. "Hang in there, Daph. Listen, I have to go. There's something important Brian wants to show me in city. He won't tell me where. It's a surprise."

"You are so lucky."

"Don't I know it! I'll call you tomorrow and see how everything's going?"

"Okay. Good luck tonight."

"Thanks."

"Bye."

"Bye." Justin ended the call and turned to Brian. "I almost had a heart attack when I saw that it was her calling."

"I could tell. So everything's okay?" Brian asked.

"Yeah, she wanted to wish me good luck for tonight."

"Come on, we'd better get a move on if we want to accomplish everything."

"What exactly do you have in mind?"

"You'll see."

Awhile later, Brian helped Justin out of the car. "We're here," he announced.

"What's going on?" Justin asked, looking at the apartment looming before him.

"Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful. But why are we here? I figured we be going to a sex club or something."

"It's yours." Justin's head whipped around. "Well, technically ours."

"You...bought this?" Justin balked. _Every time I open my mouth._

"You said you wanted a penthouse apartment on Fifth Avenue," Brian reminded him.

"When am I ever going to learn to watch what I say in front of you?" Justin teased, grinning broadly. "I love it! Thank you!" He jumped into Brian's arms, as excited as a child.

"You're welcome," Brian beamed. Seeing Justin's face lit up like it was made him feel a twinge of joy.

Justin kissed him firmly on the lips. "Can we look?" he asked, practically jumping with excitement.

"Of course we can. I own it."

"If I wasn't so happy right now, I'd kill you," Justin said, taking Brian's hand.

"Now that your exhibit is being extended indefinitely, I thought it would be nice to get a nice place here where the four of us could come and relax in the summer," Brian explained, following Justin inside.

"It's even more beautiful that I imagined," Justin murmured, walking through all the empty rooms. The floors were hardwood and there were huge bay windows overlooking the street.

"This is the best part," Brian said, taking Justin's hand. He led Justin through a maze of rooms to an open area with a balcony.

"Oh, my God!" Justin exclaimed, laughing hysterically.

"I thought that this would be a great spot for you to sit and paint. As soon as I saw this, I knew that I had to buy it."

Justin squeezed his hand. "I know that I say this every time you do something nice for me, but this time I really mean it. I can never repay you for this."

"Sure you can," Brian replied, peering at Justin through his eyelashes.

"Consider it done!" Justin pulled Brian back into the apartment. He slammed Brian up against the brick wall and tore his coat off, letting it fall to the floor. It would be useful in a few minutes.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **The gang arrives in New York in time to attend the opening of Justin's exhibit.


	106. New York

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian bought Justin a studio apartment on Fifth Avenue for them to use when they need to be in New York for Justin's work.

The gang headed off to New York to attend Justin's exhibit.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Five

As he followed his family and Jennifer off the plane, walking single-file, it hit Michael. _I'm not in Pittsburgh, I'm in New York again_! He hadn't had a wonderful time when he'd last visited, but he would have an even better time now that he was here with Ben and Hunter. Not to mention the rest of the family. "Do you see Brian and Justin?" he asked, trying to see around Debbie and the others.

"No, I don't see them anywhere," Debbie replied, looking around.

"Hey, there's Teddy!" Emmett cried. "And Blake."

"What, the queens couldn't be bothered to come and pick us up themselves?" Deb exclaimed.

"Be nice," Michael hissed. Ted and Blake were approaching. "Hey, guys."

"Hey." Ted smiled at them all. "Brian and Justin asked me to give you their apologies."

"Where the fuck are they?" Deb demanded.

"They're out doing stuff"

"What kind of stuff! "

"I don't know," Ted confessed.

Debbie scowled. "Shouldn't they be getting ready for Sunshine's show or something?"

"I have no idea, Deb. Brian just told me that they had something important to take care of and asked me to pick you guys up."

"Something important my ass," Deb muttered. "They're probably off at a sex club somewhere blowing each other."

"Just drop it, Ma," Michael pleaded. The last thing he wanted to deal with right now was his mother's temper.

"So, how's the trip been so far?" Emmett asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, it's been great!" Ted laughed. "We've been having a blast."

"We've been all over the city sight-seeing. You wouldn't believe how exhausting it is," Blake added, laughing.

"I'm glad that you guys finally got your honeymoon," Emmett said sincerely.

"Thanks, Em." Then it dawned on Ted that someone was missing. "Hey, where's Calvin?"

"Oh, he couldn't make it. They sent him to Detroit for some thing or other. I don't know." He waved his hand idly.

They were just about to go outside to get cabs when Michael heard Lindsay's voice. _Oh shit, we completely forgot about Mel and Linz_! "Wait!" he exclaimed, peering through the throng of the busy airport to pinpoint Melanie and Lindsay.

"What is it, honey?" Debbie asked, concerned.

"I heard Lindsay's voice. They're here, too."

"I wasn't expecting them until a little later," Ted mused, frowning.

"Mel? Linz?" Michael called, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice.

"Michael?" That was Lindsay. "Where are you guys?"

"By the entrance."

"We'll be right there."

Through the crowded lobby, Melanie and Lindsay pushed forward, keeping a death grip on Gus's hand. They walked around a large family and spotted Michael and the others. "There you are." Lindsay heaved a sigh of relief. She didn't know what they would do if they got separated from the others. Especially since she had no idea where they were going and Ted, Michael, and Emmett were the only ones with local knowledge. "Hey!"

"Hey!" Michael hugged first Lindsay, then Melanie, and then picked up JR and twirled her around. "Hey, honeybun!"

They all exchanged pleasantries before going outside. "We're going to have a hell of a time getting enough cabs for all of us," Ted noted, flagging one down as he spoke. "We can fit three in here. Who wants to come with us?"

"I will!" Emmett cried, jumping into the cab. Jennifer got in after him.

"Where did you guys staying?" Blake asked, pausing in the door to the cab.

"We're booked at the Hilton Waldorf Astoria, what about guys?" Melanie turned to Michael and the others.

"We're at the same place," Ben replied.

"Us, too," Ted continued. "So it looks like we're all going to the same place."

"I guess so," Lindsay said with a smile.

"Well, we'll see you guys there. You're going to love it."

"See you."

"Bye."

The cab pulled away, leaving the rest of the group standing on the curb. "There's one!" Debbie exclaimed, waving dramatically to catch the driver's attention.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

"The Hilton Waldorf...something," Deb replied. Carl got into the back seat and waited for Debbie and Lance to get in. "Well, are you coming?" he asked.

"I'm going to stay. I want to talk to Michael," Lance said, averting his gaze.

"Lindsay, honey, you and Melanie can squeeze in." Debbie patted the seat next to her. "It's too cold for you to be out here with two children."

"Thanks, Deb." Lindsay smiled gratefully as she, Melanie, and the kids got into the back of the cab.

"It's my pleasure, sweetheart." The cab driver waited until the door was closed before taking off.

Michael caught Lance's eye and motioned for him to come over. "You wanted to talk to me?" he said quietly.

"I just wanted to let you know that I met someone."

"That's great!"

"Yeah. I really care about him."

"I'm happy for you." _Why is he telling me this?_

"I thought you'd like to know. Now you can stop pretending like you don't notice."

"Notice? Notice what?"

"That I had a crush on you," Lance explained, blushing a deep shade of red.

"Oh." Michael blushed, too. He had never been one to notice when someone was checking him out or had a crush on him. "Yeah. Yeah, I knew all along," he lied.

"Well, it's over now."

"I'm happy for you," Michael repeated.

Debbie's voice interrupted them. "Let's go!" she yelled. "I got us another cab."

"We'd better go," Michael said, laughing.

"Yeah. The last thing we want to do is piss her off. She'll bitch about it all day."

"Are you sure you're not really a Novotny?" Michael asked, putting his arm around Lance. Debbie, Ben, Hunter, Michael, and Lance piled into the cab. There were only a few hours until Justin's show, which gave them all enough time to take a quick nap and freshen up before the big event.

* * *

By the time Brian and Justin got back to the hotel, it was seven o'clock––the exhibit started at eight. They had taken a shower together, fooling around. Afterwards, Brian had slipped out of the bathroom so that Justin could get ready uninterrupted. Even though he had been a success at his last art show, Justin was once again nervous. He stood in the bathroom, staring at his reflection in the mirror. _You're going to be great_, he told himself over and over again, willing himself to believe it. "Are you almost done in there?" Brian asked, opening the door a crack. He caught sight of Justin––even paler than usual–– and immediately the smile vanished from his face. "You're nervous again, aren't you?" He sat on the edge of the sink next to Justin and clasped his hand.

"Yeah," Justin admitted, taking a deep breath.

"Am I going to have to recycle old material and repeat what I said last time?"

"No." A smile tugged at Justin's lips.

Brian reached up and angled Justin's head so that their eyes met. "You are going to be amazing," he iterated with finality. "Everybody loves your work. Everybody loves you."

"Including you."

"Including me." Brian kissed the tip of Justin's nose. "There, is it all better?"

"A little." Justin grinned. "I think I would feel even better if you kissed me here." He pointed at his lips.

"That can be arranged." Brian crushed his lips against Justin, willing some of his calmness to pass through him into Justin.

"That's better," Justin murmured when the kiss broke.

"Good." Brian smacked Justin's ass. "Are you ready to go?"

Justin sighed. "I guess." He met Brian's gaze again and smiled. "Yes, I'm ready."

"If you start to feel nervous, just think about the fabulous time we're going to have in our penthouse apartment the next time we're here."

"I will." Justin finished fastening his cuff links. "I know you're going to say 'beautiful', but how do I look?"

"You look..." Brian racked his brain for a new adjective. "You look très beau, mon amour."

"You just said 'very beautiful, my love' in French," Justin pointed out, lightly punching Brian's arm.

"Actually, I said, 'very handsome' not 'beautiful,' so it doesn't count."

"I guess I can't argue that." Justin straightened his tie. "What time is it?"

"Seven thirty-six."

"Shit, we have to get going."

"Deep breaths," Brian cautioned.

As per usual, there was a car waiting especially for Brian and Justin. As soon as they got settled into the back seat, the car took off, pulling into traffic. "It's a good thing we're not too far from the gallery," Justin mused. "If we run into a traffic jam or something, I'll be late."

"If worse comes to worst, we could always get out and walk," Brian pointed out.

"Yeah."

The car pulled up outside of the gallery. The queue was astounding. "They're all here for me?" Justin gasped, his jaw dropping open.

"They're all here for you," Brian replied.

"I guess we'd better go." Justin was about to open the door when the driver opened it for him. _What is this, the red carpet?_ "Thank you."

"You're welcome," the driver smiled politely and held the door open until Brian slid out.

"Wow," Justin whispered, unable to peel his eyes away from the crowd of people waiting to get in.

"Yeah," Brian agreed. "It is a little overwhelming, I'll admit."

"I wish I felt overwhelmed. It's better than constantly feeling like you're going to vomit."

"It's going to be okay."

They made their way to the front of the line and were let in. As soon as they got inside, they saw the groupies. Jennifer smiled proudly.

"Hey, Sunshine!" Debbie wailed, running up to him and smothering him in a bear hug. She planted a kiss on his cheek, leaving a lipstick mark.

"Careful, Deb, we can't have the public thinking he's straight," Brian teased, wiping the stain off.

"Congratulations, Justin," Lindsay said, giving him a quick hug.

"Thanks, Linz."

"Good luck," Michael said meaningfully. Justin smiled. Ben winked encouragingly at him.

"Kick ass, dude," Hunter added, clapping Justin on the shoulder.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Emmett asked, his voice low. "Alone?"

"Sure." Justin looked over at Brian, confused. Brian arched an eyebrow.

Emmett led Justin over to a quiet little alcove off to the side where they could be alone. "I know this is completely random and months too late, but I thought I should thank you."

"What for?" Justin looked past Emmett to where the crowd was filtering into the lobby.

"For getting me and Calvin back together," Emmett replied.

"Oh." Justin had completely forgotten about that. It had seemed like the right thing to do at the time and he hadn't given it a second thought since Emmett and Calvin had resumed their relationship. "You're welcome."

"No." Emmett's eyes teared up. "That is the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for me."

"Don't mention it," Justin insisted. "It was the least I could do, after all that you've done for me."

"Thanks, baby." Emmett flung his arms around Justin and held him close, quietly sobbing.

Justin saw Jackson round the corner and caught his eye. "It's time," Jackson mouthed. Justin nodded. "Emmett," he said softly.

"Yeah?"

" I have to go. It's time to start."

"Sorry." Emmett laughed embarrassedly as he wiped his tears away. "I didn't mean to cry all over your new suit, which looks fabulous by the way."

"Thanks. Brian helped me pick it out." Justin looked over his shoulder and saw Brian patiently waiting for him. "Anyway, I'd better get going before they start without me. Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Go. Show these fuckers what you got."

"Thanks." Smiling, Justin headed back to Brian.

Brian looped his arm through Justin's. "What was all that about?" he asked, looking back at Emmett, who was slowly but surely regaining his composure in the corner.

"Apparently he just found out about the reason that he and Calvin got back together," Justin explained.

"Ah. I was wondering why he was crying like a little girl."

"Listen, I have to go get started, will you..."

"I'm not going anywhere," Brian promised.

"Thanks."

"Justin, it's time," Jackson said again, a little nervously.

"I'm coming." Smiling at Brian, Justin started the long walk down the hall, Brian matching him step for step. Their footfalls echoed off of the walls. "I hope I don't have to make a speech or anything."

"If you do, just keep it short and sweet."

"That'll be easy. I don't have anything to say."

"You'll think of something."

"You'll jump in if I start to make a fool of myself, right?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

They rounded the corner and came upon the exhibit room. Swallowing past the bile that was slowly rising up from his stomach, Justin kept on walking. Heads instantly turned to watch him. "And here he is, the _artiste_ himself, Justin Taylor," Jackson bellowed into a microphone. The crowd clapped and cheered, only making Justin more nervous. He stepped up onto the small podium and took a deep breath.

"Thank you all for coming tonight. As you all know, this is my first real art show and I came all the way from West Virginia to show you my work. If you like my stuff, great, if you don't, that's fine, too." Brian cleared his throat behind him. "Anyway, enjoy the show and thanks again for coming out here tonight."

As the last word escaped Justin's lips, the room erupted with the sound of clapping. _I guess Brian and Jackson were right: I'm not half bad_. Brian helped him down from the podium and they went to stand against the wall, clear of the throng of people passing through the room. "That wasn't bad," Brian said.

"My speech?"

"Mmm hmm."

"Then why did you clear your throat?"

"Because it needed to be cleared."

"Oh." Justin laughed. "Look at all these people."

"They really love you," Brian joked. "Did you see how excited they got when you came into the room?"

"Beginner's luck," Justin suggested. "I'm sure after they see my stuff, they won't be so loving."

"Whatever you say."

* * *

When they got back to the hotel that night, both Brian and Justin were completely exhausted. "I can't believe how well it went," Justin said, unbuttoning his shirt.

"I told you, didn't I?" Brian asked, getting undressed.

"I guess I should just listen to you next time, huh?"

"I think that would be a good idea." He grinned. "So, are you ready for tomorrow night?"

"I don't think I'll ever be ready."

"You're not nervous?"

"No. But I am not looking forward to exuding so much energy."

"Ah, you'll be fine. If anyone should be used to exuding energy, it's you." His eyes flashed devilishly.

"Very funny." Justin pulled back the blankets and climbed into bed. Brian got in next to him and tugged the blankets back up. "Could today have been any more crazy?" Justin asked, thinking back on everything had happened since that morning.

"The apartment on Fifth, the art show..."

"Fucking in the car on the way back."

"I wouldn't exactly consider that crazy," Brian corrected him. "I'd call it hot."

"You would." Justin turned the light off and snuggled up in Brian's arms. "You're coming to the show tomorrow night, right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Even though it'll be the same as it was tonight?"

"I don't care. You need me there and that's what matters."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Justin closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep. Brian stroked his hair, feeling the silky locks. Justin had made him so proud at the show, and miraculously he loved him even more.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Emmett sees a familiar face in New York. Brian and Justin spend time with their friends.


	107. To Family

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Justin got offered a permanent exhibit at the gallery.

Brian bought a penthouse apartment on Fifth Avenue for Justin.

The gang flew to New York to see Justin's show.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Six

The next morning, Emmett awoke early. As soon as he'd gotten back to the hotel the night before, he'd gone straight to bed, the jet lag having set in. He got out of bed and took a shower, letting the water cleanse him of the previous day's grit and grime. After his shower, he got dressed and brushed his teeth, all the while plotting. _What am I going to do today?_ he wondered.

Emmett had been dreaming of visiting New York for as long as he could remember. And now that he was finally here and had time to look around, he didn't have the faintest idea of what to do first. The others had all mentioned going sightseeing, but he really didn't want to go see the Guggenheim with Melanie and Lindsay or go shopping with Michael and Ben. He wanted to do something different. _I guess I could go check out one of those cafés that people are always raving about,_ he mused. _That's as good a place to start as any._

As Emmett passed through the lobby, he decided that it would be a good idea to leave the others a note, in case they tried to find him once they were up and ready. He went up the front desk and patiently waited for the clerk to take care of the guest in front of him. "What can I do for you?" the clerk asked with a friendly smile.

"Hi. I would like to leave a message for my friends," Emmett said, leaning across the desk.

"You are with the big group, right?"

"Yes, that's me." Emmett laughed. "Anyway, if you happen to see them come through here, could you tell them for me that I went out and I don't know when I'll be back?"

"Of course, sir, whatever you like."

"Thank you." Emmett smiled appreciatively

"You're welcome."

Leaving the hotel, Emmett picked a direction and started walking, paying attention to the street signs. The worst possible thing that could happen would be getting lost in a foreign city. Although, he could always hail a cab and have them bring him back, but that was neither here nor there. He kept on walking, looking around at all of the shops and restaurants that he was passing. But no cafés. Rounding a corner, Emmett spotted a nice café, its window facing out to the street. _A nice view to keep me entertained while I drink my café au lait and eat my pizza. _He went in and ordered his food, grateful that he had decided to get out of the hotel. He wouldn't been bored out of his mind pacing his small hotel room all day. _I should've brought a book,_ Emmett thought. He didn't want to look like a lonely, pathetic man sitting alone in a café in a city that was packed with couples. _Oh, well, who cares what they think? I'm fabulous!_

Emmett snagged a table in the corner, right by the window. Outside, people milled around, going about their everyday errands: shopping, going to work, grabbing a quick bite on their lunch hour, picking up clothes from the drycleaners. He was too self-conscious to pointedly stare out the window at the people outside, so he bought a newspaper and held it up, pretending to read it, all the while keeping tabs on the people outside.

After about an hour, Emmett started to grow restless. Because traveling anywhere was quite costly, he had only booked the hotel room for two nights, and he would be flying back to Pittsburgh the following morning. _I better make the most of this while I'm here._ He paid for his food and left the waitress a generous tip. At first, she tried to return it, but Emmett insisted that she keep it. Grudgingly, the young woman stuffed the money in her pocket and thanked him sincerely. He was on his way out the door when he bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, laughing. As soon as Emmett saw the face of the man he had bumped into, he froze––petrified.

Drew Boyd towered over him. "It's okay," he said, the corners of his lips tugging into a tight smile. "Hey, Emmett."

"Hey, Drew." Emmett wondered if the waitress had laced his food with something because there was no way that what he was seeing was real.

"How've you been?"

"I-I've been great. And you?" Emmett stammered, his mind reeling. What the hell was Drew Boyd doing in New York!

"The same." Drew took a seat at the nearest table. For reasons unknown, Emmett sat down across from him.

Emmett finally snapped out of his trance. "So, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back home in Pittsburgh scoring touchdowns for the Iron Men?"

"Yeah." Drew laughed softly, his eyes sparkling. "I, uh, took a vacation."

"And you chose New York because...?"

"I've always wanted to come here and see the Met. I took a few art classes back in high school. Unfortunately, I wasn't very good. I embarrassed myself pretty bad." He laughed.

"Really? You don't exactly strike me as the artsy type," Emmett teased, unable to refrain from smiling.

"Yeah, well, I hide it well."

"Apparently." Emmett giggled. _Stop right now!_ he ordered himself. _He's going to think that you're flirting with him!_

Drew cleared his throat. "What about you? What are you doing in the big city?"

"Oh, I'm here for Justin's art show," Emmett explained.

"Justin has his own art show?" Drew asked. "Here?"

"Yeah. At the..." Emmett tried to recall the name of the gallery. "Peter Blum Gallery."

"That's _his _show?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. I'd heard that there was some hotshot artist debuting there. I was hoping to get in to see it."

"Well, I might be able to help you with that seeing as I'm a close friend of the artist."

"Really?" Drew grinned. "Thanks, Emmett. You're a lifesaver."

"It's just you, right?"

"Myself and one other," Drew corrected him.

"Two?" Emmett's heart started to hammer in his chest. Surely Drew wasn't insinuating what Emmett thought he was...There was no way that he was going to fall back into old habits with Drew. Especially now that all romantic feelings were diminished.

"Yeah. You know. One more than one and one less than three?" Drew laughed.

Emmett regained his composure. "Are you here with someone?" he asked casually, hoping beyond hope that Drew had moved on.

"Yes, I am." _Oh, thank God!_

"A boyfriend?" Emmett couldn't help but heckle Drew. Now that he knew he was safe, he could relax and comfortably enjoy Drew's company.

"You could say that. We've been seeing each other for a few months now."

"You are! Drewsie, I'm so happy for you!" Emmett threw his arms around Drew, laughing hysterically.

"Would I lie to you?"

"No." Emmett beamed. "So, tell me all about him. What's he like? Is he cute? Would I approve?"

"He's really nice," Drew said, smiling. "He's gorgeous and I know for a fact that you'd like him."

"I'm sure I would."

"He's not you, but…." Drew shrugged. "What about you?"

"Me? I'm here alone."

"What's this?" Drew grabbed Emmett's hand and fiddled with his wedding band.

"Oh, yeah!" Emmett laughed. "I'm married now."

"I gathered. Is it...?" he chewed his lip, trying to remember the name of Emmett's boyfriend.

"Calvin? Yes."

Drew nodded. "Congratulations. I know how much you care about him."

"Thanks. We're very happy." That couldn't be more true for Emmett. It had taken almost losing Calvin for him to realize just how much he loved him.

"I'm glad. You deserve to be happy."

"You, too."

The door opened and Drew's face lit up. "There you are."

"Sorry I'm late," a hunky man apologized, kissing Drew on the cheek.

"Kyle, this is Emmett. Emmett, this is Kyle. My partner."

"Nice to meet you." Emmett politely shook Kyle's hand.

"You, too." Kyle smiled and turned back to Drew. "So, what are you two up to?"

"We're just catching up," Drew answered, puling Kyle down into the seat next to him. "Do you remember that art show that we heard about the other day?"

"That one that's so fabulous that you can't get in?"

"Yeah."

"What about it?"

"Emmett's going to get us in."

"No way!"

Emmett smiled. "Way. My friend Justin is the artist."

"Get out! That is unbelievable!"

"The friendship does have its privileges," Emmett joked.

"Thank you so much! We thought for sure that we weren't going to be able to go."

"Don't mention it. Anything for a friend."

"We appreciate it," Drew iterated.

"Forget it." Emmett looked at the time. "Well, I'd better get going. It was nice seeing you again, Drew and it was lovely meeting you, Kyle."

"Definitely," Kyle said with a tight smile.

Emmett turned to leave, but Drew jumped up and grabbed his arm. "Look, before you go, there's something I want to say to you."

"Okay..." Emmett looked past Drew's shoulder to Kyle, who was watching the scene intently.

"About what happened...back in Pittsburgh. At Babylon and everything..."

"That was a long time ago." Emmett waved it off.

"Still, I'm sorry about how things ended between us."

"Me, too. I guess we just weren't meant to be."

"I guess not." Drew chewed his lip. "I just want you to know that I never meant to hurt you."

"I know."

"Even after what happened? What I said to you?" Drew's faced glowed red.

"I was being unfair. I told you I was taken, but as soon as you offered, my legs were pointing upward."

"I shouldn't have pressured you," Drew said softly.

"The truth is that I wanted it. But the important thing is that we ended before we both got hurt." He glanced down at his feet for a second. "Now, I really better go this time, before Kyle thinks that something's going on."

"Yeah." Drew chuckled. "We wouldn't want that. Take care of yourself, Emmett."

"You, too, Drew." With one last smile, Emmett turned and walked out of the café.

He debated whether or not to go back to the hotel, but in the end decided that it was his best option. He was too rattled from his run in with Drew. He started to walk and immediately, he started to go over the encounter in his mind. He loved Drew, but not in the same way that he loved Calvin. Drew was like a good friend now, a dear friend. _I need to talk to Teddy!_ Miraculously, he found his way back to the hotel without even paying attention. Before he knew it, Emmett was back in the hotel lobby.

Ted, coming out the elevator, waved and hurried over. "There you are," he said. "I've been looking for you."

"You didn't get my message?" Emmett asked distractedly.

"What message?"

"I left a message with the front desk."

"Oh." Ted smacked his forehead. "I didn't even think of that." He sniffed. "So, where have you been? Out sightseeing?"

"I went out to a café," Emmett replied, exhaling sharply.

"That sounds like fun."

"It was. I ran into somebody there..."

"Who? Sarah Jessica Parker?"

"No." Emmett laughed. "Drew."

"Drew?" Emmett arched an eyebrow. "Oh! That Drew."

"Yeah."

Ted was silent for a moment. "How did it go? Are you all right."

"I'm fine," Emmett answered. "We caught up. You wouldn't believe what I found out."

"Let me guess, he's straight again?"

"No. He's seeing someone. His boyfriend is a cutie named Kyle."

"Good for him."

"I'm glad he found someone else. I can finally stop feeling bad about leading him on."

"You didn't lead him on," Ted insisted. "He knew that you were happy with Calvin."

Emmett was going to argue, but bit his tongue. The past was the past and he could do nothing about it. Now, both he and Drew were happy, that's what mattered. Time for a subject change. "So, you said you were looking for me. What's up?"

"What?" Ted creased his brow for a second. "Oh, right. Brian and Justin are taking us out for dinner tonight. I wanted to tell you before you made other plans."

"Well that's the nicest offer I've had all day," Emmett joked. "What time are we going?"

"About six."

"Are the others back from their adventures yet?"

"No. It's just you and me."

"How about you and go show me all these fabulous tourist attractions?"

"Sounds good to me." Smiling, Ted followed Emmett out the door.

* * *

Later that night, everyone met up at Balzac, a very trendy restaurant. They got the biggest table in the whole place and sat down. Melanie, Lindsay, and Gus sat next to Justin. "How did you guys enjoy the Guggenheim?" he asked.

"It was fantastic," Lindsay answered, closing her eyes. "I was in heaven."

"I thought it was pretty interesting," Melanie added. "I mean, I know that I'm not that big of an art person, but even I was blown away by the collection."

"I wish Brian and I could've gone," Justin confessed.

"Just think: maybe one day, there'll be a collection of your work there," Lindsay said cheerily.

"I wouldn't count on that." Justin laughed. "It's a nice dream, though."

"Dreams come true."

They ordered their food and drinks. After their drinks came, Brian cleared his throat loud enough for all of them to hear. "We have an announcement to make."

"Don't tell us you're getting married again," Debbie teased. "I can't afford another wedding present."

"No, it's nothing like that," Justin assured her, laughing.

"Well, what is it?" Lindsay pressed, on the edge of her seat.

"A few days ago Jackson and I talked about my show and he offered me a permanent spot at the gallery."

"That's great, honey," Jennifer said, smiling proudly.

"Did you accept?" Lindsay asked. Besides Brian, she was the most supportive of his art career.

"I took it," Justin answered, grinning broadly.

"Whoo!" Debbie cried, clapping loudly. The other patrons turned to see what was causing the ruckus, but Deb ignored them. "Good for you, Sunshine."

"Thanks."

Lindsay frowned. "Does that mean that you're going to have to relocate here?" She wondered how that would change things for Brian and Justin. And Gus.

"No. Jackson said that I'm free to come and go as I please. But I will be spending more time here than I had originally thought." He turned to Brian and his eyes lit up.

"What do you mean?" Melanie asked.

"Do you remember yesterday when we went out?" Brian replied.

"Yeah."

"I bought us a penthouse."

"No way!" Debbie almost fell out of her seat. "That must have cost a fucking fortune!"

"A small one," Brian confessed. "But it was worth it." He smiled at Justin.

"So, in the summer, we're going to come and stay here so that I can work and add to my collection."

"We're hoping that you'll still let us take Gus," Brian said to Melanie and Lindsay.

Mel and Linz exchanged looks. "Of course. He had such a great time with you two today," Lindsay replied.

"What about the baby?" Michael asked.

"She'll come with us. I'll be working, but Brian will still be here to take care of her. Daphne's getting equal custody, too."

"And Kinnetik?" Ted inquired.

"I can work from here," Brian assured him. "That's why they invented the internet."

"I just have one question," Debbie announced, her tone serious.

"What?" Justin asked.

"Are you going to let us come and stay with you in your penthouse?"

Justin laughed. "Of course! You're all welcome to come and stay with us. There aren't as many rooms here as in the house, but we can probably squeeze you in."

"That settles it, then."

"Any more questions?" Brian teased.

"I don't have a question, but I'd like to make a toast," Jennifer answered, standing up with her glass of wine.

"Oh, Mom," Justin murmured, blushing scarlet.

"To my wonderful son Justin, who has made me so proud. I love you, honey." Her voice broke with emotion.

"To Sunshine!" Debbie added loudly.

Everybody clinked their glasses together and then Justin stood up. "I'd like to make a toast, too." He inhaled sharply. "To my family. Without all of you, I wouldn't be here today. I love you all." As they clinked glasses again, Justin buried his face in Brian's chest, fighting tears.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin spend time with Melanie, Lindsay, Gus, and Jennifer before they fly back home.


	108. Goodbye Again

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** The gang flew to New York to see Justin's exhibit.

Emmett ran into Drew at a cafe. They made amends for their past mistakes and Emmett learned that Drew had a new boyfriend.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Seven

The second night of Justin's art show went even better than the first. He had once again been greeted by a huge crowd and loud applause and during the show, several people had come up to congratulate him and wish him well in his future endeavors. Justin was touched. Had his work really affected that many people? He had been shocked when he had spotted Drew Boyd and his new beau amidst the crowd. "Is that Drew?" Justin had asked Brian, nodding in the direction of the man in question.

"I think so."

"I wonder what he's doing here?"

"I heard Emmett say something at dinner about running into him earlier today. He probably got him in."

"Mmmmm."

After the show, Justin and Brian had gone back to the hotel and Brian had given him a congratulatory blow job. "I am so proud of you," Brian had said afterwards, holding Justin in his arms. "I always knew that you would make it."

"I wouldn't have made it without you," Justin had replied, gently running his finger around Brian's nipple.

"I think you give me too much credit."

"No, I don't give you _enough _credit," Justin had corrected him. "Thanks to you, I have the strength and courage to push forward no matter what happens. You're the one who taught me that."

"Did I really?"

"Yes, you did." Justin had propped his head up on his arm and kissed Brian on the mouth. "Now let's go to sleep. We have one more day of this and then we can finally go home and relax."

"Okay." Brian had kissed the top of Justin's head. "Night."

"Good night."

In the morning, they got up early enough to see their friends off at the airport. The group had not come to Justin's show after dinner the night before, but had instead spent the evening taking is as much of the city as they could before they had to go back to Pittsburgh and Toronto. Justin hadn't really gotten much time with Melanie, Lindsay, or Jennifer, so as soon as he and Brian were out of the shower, they hurried over to Hilton Waldorf Astoria. "You get Mel and Linz," Justin said, "I'll get my mother." Brian nodded.

When they got out of the elevator, they split up: Justin going left and Brian going right. Jennifer had said that she was staying in the first room to the left of the elevator. _Hopefully I've got the right room,_ Justin thought, knocking on the door. _With my luck, it'll probably be some angry lesbian. _A few seconds later, the door opened and Jennifer peered out warily. _Thank God! _"Hey, honey," Jennifer said with a smile. "I didn't know that you were stopping by."

"You came all this way for my show, you didn't think that I was going to let you leave without spending any time with you, did you?" Justin asked, hugging his mother.

"Of course not." Jennifer squeezed him tightly, rubbing his back. "Where's Brian?"

"He went to get Mel and Linz."

"Oh." Jennifer motioned for Justin to follow her into the room. "I was just getting all packed up."

"It's a shame that you couldn't stay for longer," Justin mused. "It would be nice to show you around town."

"I wish I could, but the work of a real estate agent is never done. We'll see each other when you get home. That baby's due soon. I'll come and see her in the hospital."

Justin grinned. "I can't wait. It seems like its been years since Daphne got pregnant."

"I felt the same way when I was pregnant for you." Justin opened his mouth to say something, but Jennifer held up her hand. "And not because I felt terrible when I was carrying you, but because I was anxious to see the beautiful boy that I'd created. I was so proud of what I'd done."

"You were?"

"And every day, I grow more and more proud of you, Justin. You go after what you want and you don't give up until you get it. That's an admirable quality."

"Thanks, Mom."

"And I want you to know that you are going to be a great father. Your daughter is very lucky."

"Not as lucky as I am."

"Oh, honey." Jennifer blushed, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.

"I know that I don't always show it, but I do love you, Mom, and I am glad that I have you as a mother and not some cold, heartless bitch."

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?" Jennifer teased.

"Kind of." Justin laughed. "So, how are things going with you and Tucker?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Would I ask if I didn't?"

Jennifer shook her head. "No, I guess not. Tucker and I are happy. Like I said before, I'd never marry anyone else again, but I do want to be with him. I'm thinking of asking him to move in with me."

"You are?"

"Yes. Molly's almost grown up and once she's gone, both of my babies will be out on their own. I'll get lonely."

"If it makes you happy, Mom, I say go for it."

"I'm glad that I have your blessing."

"Do you have Molly's?"

"Molly loves Tucker. They get along great. He's like a father to her now that her own has pretty much severed all ties," Jennifer said bitterly.

"He's still ignoring her?"

"What can I say?" Jennifer shrugged. "Your father is an asshole, Justin. I just hope that whatever he's up to makes him happy because it's pretty pathetic that he wants nothing to do with his own children."

"I couldn't agree more. I keep fantasizing that his girlfriend gives him syphilis or something."

"Justin!" Jennifer burst out laughing. Her angry feelings for Craig were strong enough for her to find amusement in Justin's jest.

"Better yet, genital warts. That would suit him just fine."

"It's nice to see that you aren't bitter at all," Jennifer joked.

Before Justin could reply, he heard a faint tapping at the door. "That must be Brian."

He opened the door and pulled Brian in for a kiss. "Bring your stuff, Mom," he said when the kiss broke.

"Why?" Jennifer asked.

"Because you're coming with us back to the apartment. We'll take you to the airport from there."

"Okay..." It didn't really make sense to her, but Jennifer did as she was instructed. She grabbed her luggage and followed the others out and down the hall to the elevator. On their way out, Jennifer, Melanie, and Lindsay checked out. Brian and Justin took Gus out to the car. "Wow," Jennifer gasped as she and the girls got in. "This isn't a car, it's a limo."

"One of the privileges of being a famous artist," Justin said lightly.

"You've earned it," Lindsay assured him.

"What do you think, Gus?" Brian asked.

"It's big," Gus answered, looking around the vast space.

"Well, you never know. Maybe one day when you're a famous artist, you'll have your own limo." Justin smiled.

"Here's hoping." Melanie crossed her fingers. "Then he can buy me that Porsche I've always dreamed of."

"And I can have my own art studio," Lindsay added.

When the driver pulled up outside of the apartment building, Justin jumped out and led the way up to their penthouse. "You have to see the view from our balcony," he declared. "It's to die for." He opened the doors and stepped out onto the balcony, breathing in the crisp air.

"Oh, my God!" Lindsay exclaimed, shrieking. "Look how high up we are!"

"This is where I'm going to work on my art while I'm here. I'll have this beautiful city as my inspiration."

"It's amazing, isn't it?"

"It is. But I still prefer Pittsburgh."

"Have Brian buy you a leer jet," Mel jested. "He's got enough money."

"That's a great idea," Brian replied.

"We'll get right on that," Justin teased, kissing him.

They went back into the penthouse. "Are you guys hungry?" Brian asked, reaching for his cell phone.

"I already ate," Jennifer confessed. "But if you guys want something, don't mind me."

"I could go for some food," Melanie said.

"Me, too," Lindsay agreed.

"I'm sure there's a Chinese Restaurant close by," Justin insisted. "I hear the food here is amazing!"

"We don't have a phonebook," Brian cut in. "Besides, they don't eat meat, remember?" His voice was dripping with sarcasm. "They're lesbians for fuck's sake."

"Since when did you become an expert?" Melanie asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I've known you two dykes long enough."

"Gus, why don't you and I go get my purse from the car?" Jennifer suggested, taking Gus's hand.

"Don't worry about it, Jennifer, he's heard worse," Lindsay assured her. "Way worse."

"So, what do you want?" Brian pressed, turning back to the girls.

Melanie and Lindsay quickly perused the menu. "I'll just get some kung pao chicken," Mel decided. "It's been awhile since I've had Chinese."

"Sounds good to me." Lindsay set the menu back down on the bedside stand. "How do we owe you?"

"Don't worry about it." Brian waved it off. "It's my treat."

"Could you get any luckier?" Lindsay asked Justin, laughing.

"No, I couldn't." He smiled up at Brian.

Brian ordered the food and when it arrived, they hurriedly ate. Their plane was set to leave in an hour and by the time they got to the airport and said their goodbyes, it would be time to go. Lindsay finished the leftovers in the limo on the ride to the airport sighed contentedly. "You were right, the food was amazing!"

"Here." Justin gave her a few fortune cookies off of his plate. "Take these with you. You have to know you're fortune."

"Thanks." Lindsay put them in her purse and stood up. In her pocket, her cell phone beeped. "Excuse me." She dug her phone out and turned her back on them.

"I bet it's Michael," Mel said conspiratorially. "Probably calling to pester us about getting to airport."

"Probably," Brian agreed.

"Why does he always worry so much?"

"I blame Deb."

"That works for me."

Lindsay turned around. "That was Michael."

"I knew it," Melanie muttered. "What did he want?"

"He wanted to let us know that he's on his way to the airport."

"I figured." Mel sighed. "We'd better get going. He's got JR and we don't want him to miss his flight because of us."

"Let's go." Lindsay grabbed Gus's coat and helped him into it. "Are you ready to go home?" she asked him.

"I want to stay with Daddy and Justin," Gus replied, wrapping his arm around Brian's leg and holding it firmly. Lindsay looked from Justin to Brian.

"You can't, sweetie," she said soothingly, trying to pry Gus's arm from around Brian's leg.

"I want to stay with Daddy and Justin," he repeated, on the verge of tears.

"Come here, sonny boy," Brian said, holding his arms out. Gus dutifully went over and let Brian hug him. "You can't stay with Justin and I this time. We wish you could, but you have school tomorrow and what kind of a dad would I be if I made you miss school?"

"Did Brian really just say that?" Melanie murmured to Lindsay.

Justin joined in. "You'll see us next weekend," he said softly, sitting down next to Brian and stroking Gus's hair. "Maybe by then the new baby will be here. That'll be exciting, right?"

Gus nodded his head. "So that gives you something to look forward to."

"Okay." Gus swiped at his tears.

"Good boy." Brian kissed the top of Gus's head. He stood up and took Gus's hand. "Let's go."

"That was good," Lindsay whispered in his ear.

"Thanks."

"I never thought I'd see the day that you would be so loving to another human being,"

"I think we both know who we have to thank for that." Brian's gaze shifted to Justin.

"That bastard." She grinned and clapped an arm around Brian, who leaned his head on hers.

"Are you really going to take Gus next weekend?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Brian met her gaze, furrowing his brows.

"Well, I just figured that with the baby coming...you'd have a little too much on your hands."

"We'll manage," Brian said determinedly.

"You say that now, but after the baby comes..."

"You know that Gus is always welcome."

"Okay, I just wanted to check."

Outside the car was waiting again. It never seemed to leave. "Does it just sit there around day for you?" Melanie asked, frowning. How could the driver possibly have known that they were on their way out?

"It must." Justin laughed. "Every time I'm ready to leave, it's always waiting for me."

"Maybe they have your phone tapped."

"That's it. They're really spies hoping to recruit me into their covert operations."

"I knew something else was going on." Melanie giggled. "Artists don't get their own limos."

"Damn, you discovered my secret. Now the agency will have to send someone to take care of you."

"They're not match for Dyno Dyke."

"I don't doubt that for a second." Justin got into the back of the car and moved to let the others in.

"Come sit with me," Brian told Gus, patting his lap. Gus did as he was told once more and Brian held him protectively.

"I can't wait to see Brian and the baby," Justin said to Melanie. "Just look at how he is with Gus."

"Yeah, I remember when I didn't trust him to even hold Gus. He's come a long way."

At the airport, they rushed inside to get out of the snow." There you are!" Michael exclaimed, practically running an old couple over as he made his way across the room to them.

"Where's JR?" Melanie asked, all business.

"With Ben. I was elected to keep an eye out for you guys."

"Sorry we're late," Lindsay apologized. They weren't actually late, but it seemed like the right thing to say. They made their way to the others, who were patiently waiting.

"You're right on time, honey," Debbie assured her. "Michael was being a panicky queen."

"Thanks, Ma," Michael said spitefully.

"Come here, honey." Melanie took JR from Ben. "Are you ready to go home?"

"She's been a little fussy today," Michael confessed. "I think all this traveling is getting to her.

"Oh, poor baby." Mel kissed JR's hand. "Let's get you back home."

Over the loudspeaker, it was announced that the plane was boarding. "Well, I guess this is it," Lindsay said, turning to Brian and Justin. "Time to say goodbye again."

"You aren't going to cry again, are you?" Brian asked sourly.

"No." Lindsay laughed. "Bye."

"Bye." Brian gave her a hug and a quick peck on the lips. "Take care of yourself."

"You, too." She turned to Justin. "Congratulations, Justin."

"Thanks, Linz." They hugged and then Justin said, "I'll let you know when the baby's born."

"Please do. She's going to be gorgeous."

"Good luck tonight," Mel said. "You don't need it, but I'm going to say it anyway."

"Thanks, Mel." Justin squeezed her hand. "Hopefully we'll see you guys again soon."

"I'm sure we will. Valentine's Day is coming up. Deb will probably want us to come down for that, too."

"Probably." Justin laughed.

Brian kneeled down to say goodbye to Gus. "Be a good boy, okay?"

"I will," Gus promised, fighting back tears again.

"I'll see you next Friday. Maybe if you're good, your mom will let you miss school so I can come and get you earlier how does that sound?"

"Yes!" Gus screamed excitedly.

"Bye, Gus," Justin interjected, ruffling his hair.

"Bye." He hugged Justin's legs and followed Melanie and Lindsay to the desk.

Justin turned to the others. "Thanks for coming guys. It means a lot to me that you came all this way just for me."

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world, Sunshine," Debbie replied, smiling warmly.

"Yeah, baby, things like this don't happen every day," Emmett added.

"It was fun," Ted interjected. He put his arm around Blake. "It was well worth the jet lag."

"Thanks...I think." Justin laughed. "We'll see you all when we get home tomorrow."

"Hopefully with the baby," Michael said.

"Definitely with the baby," Justin promised. "I'll call you when we get news."

"We'll be waiting."

Brian and Justin waved their friends off and when they were all of sight, Brian sighed. "Well, we have a few hours before we have to go back to the gallery.

"Uh huh." Justin smiled at him.

"And I was thinking...we could go back to the hotel and fuck."

"Sounds good to me." Snatching Brian's hand, Justin anxiously pulled him toward the door.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk:** Michael and Ben get caught in the act. Justin enjoys the final night of his exhibit. Later, he gets a shocking phone call.


	109. It's Time

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **The gang headed back home.

Chapter One Hundred Eight

Back home in Pittsburgh, Michael sat down in front of the computer and opened up his novel. He hadn't been able to work on it while away and now that he was home, it was back to the salt mines. In the past few days, he had come up with some ideas for the next few chapters. Hopefully he could remember them all since he'd forgotten to write them down. _That was just genius._

"Back to work as usual?" Ben asked, startling Michael.

"Yeah. I've got some really ideas."

"That's great. You did good while we were away."

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't obsess about your book."

"I haven't obsessed about my book in months!" Michael insisted.

"Not as bad as you did when you first started writing it." Ben laughed. "Don't worry, I understand exactly what it feels like."

"It was nice to get away from it all, though," Michael admitted, smiling faintly. "Give my brain some time to recuperate."

"I've been there."

"Feel free to come and distract me sometime," Michael said, his eyes gleaming.

"How about now?"

"Not now!" Michael protested. "I just got started. Give me an hour at least."

"What are you writing about now?"

"Stockwell," Michael answered.

"Be careful what you say about him," Ben warned. "You don't want to get sued for libel."

"All I'm saying is what we know for sure, and that he was _allegedly _involved in the cover up of Jason Kemp's death."

"You should be okay then.

"If I need to, I'll change his name. It's no big deal."

Ben nodded. "What does your publisher think about the book so far?"

"He says he loves it. He promises that it's going to be a big hit."

"How much has he read?"

"Everything I've written so far."

"How does he read it?"

"I email him each chapter after Justin reads it and lets me know what he thinks about it."

"Oh." Ben frowned.

"Isn't that what you did when you were writing your books?"

"No. I just had to send the publishers an outline for the books and they gave me a time limit on how long I had to complete them."

"Hmmm."

"Did you decide when it's going to be published?"

Michael shrugged. "We talked it over and my publisher feels that it would be best to get it out as soon as possible. Supposedly gay is in right now." He laughed. "If we wait awhile, who knows how it will do?"

"How for are you going to go with it?"

"I don't know yet. Probably right after the bombing at Babylon, when Justin moved away."

"Why there?"

"Because Brian and Justin's relationship is the main plot in the book, even though it's through my point of view. I just want to end it on a note that will make people think and if possible, keep them wanting more."

"Interesting."

"That way, if they don't like the ending, I can always write a second one that picks up when Justin came back."

"That's a good idea," Ben mused.

"My editor suggested it," Michael admitted. "He wants me to milk it for all its worth."

"As long as you're okay with it, I don't see the harm. It's a good story."

"Thanks."

Michael grinned. He appreciated that Justin was helping him proofread and offer criticisms, but Ben's opinion mattered most. As a college professor and an author, Ben could give insight that nobody else could. "You know which part I can't wait to write?"

"When JR was born?"

"That, too, but I was actually looking forward to writing about our wedding."

"You were?" Ben asked jokingly, moving closer to Michael.

"Mmm hmm. And how they wouldn't let us back into the United States unless we filled out separate forms."

"I remember. Your mother almost ripped that guy's head off." They both laughed.

"And he threatened to send her to Nova Scotia if she didn't shut up." Michael shook his head. "That is definitely going to be interesting to recreate."

"You'll do it just fine. You're a very talented writer, Michael."

"Oh, shut up!" Michael lightly punched Ben's arm. "There's one specific part about our wedding that I'm especially looking forward to."

"What could be more exciting that our wedding ceremony or not being allowed back into our own country?" Ben asked.

Michael chuckled. "When we finally got home and properly consummated our marriage."

"Yeah, that was good." Ben leaned it to kiss Michael. Before their lips could meet, Michael moved his head back and grabbed at Ben's belt, slowly unhooking the buckle. Looking up through his eyelashes at Ben, Michael unzipped his fly. Ben licked his lips in anticipation as Michael reached inside and started to stroke his erection through his underwear. The material was soft and as it rubbed against his sensitive area, it caused him to shiver with delight. Before Michael could undo the button of Ben's boxers and really get started, Ben pulled back. "I thought you had to work," He reminded him half-heartedly.

"It can wait," Michael said, his voice dripping with lust. "Hunter's at work right now, so what better time? If we wait a couple of hours, he'll be back and then we'll have to keep it down. And that's no fun."

"Are you feeling okay?" Ben asked. "You aren't acting like yourself."

"I've been cooped up in a hotel and an airplane for the past couple of days," Michael explained. "Plus, writing sex scenes makes me so horny."

"Well in that case..." Ben pulled his shirt over his head and set it down on the computer desk. "Let me run upstairs and get a condom."

"Don't be too long."

While Ben was upstairs, Michael moved over to the couch so that they would have more room. He took off his shirt and pulled his jeans down a bit, exposing his erection. Ben came back down the stairs and paused in the doorway, admiring the sight. "You look hot," he murmured.

"Are you going to stand there all day with your mouth open or are you going to come over here?" Michael teased, patting the cushion next to him. Ben didn't need to be told twice, he crossed the room and sank down onto the couch, raining kisses all over Michael. The kisses became more intense as Ben slowly slid his pants down. Michael stared into his eyes, the desire burning within. Ben tore open the condom packet and was just about to slip it on when he heard the front door open and close. It didn't quite register to him or Michael until Hunter walked in and stopped dead in his tracks.

Ben immediately whipped his head around to make sure that he wasn't imagining things. "Fuck!" Michael hissed, shifting out from under Ben. Immediately, his face flushed puce.

"Uh..." Hunter stared, frozen.

"Hey, pal," Ben said lamely, trying to inconspicuously zip his fly.

"Hunter, what are you doing here? You were supposed to be at work!" Michael bellowed.

"Grandma let me off early. It's...It's cool," Hunter managed, mouth slack. "Nothing I haven't seen or done before."

"Oh, God!"

"Dudes, it's fine," Hunter insisted, finally regaining his composure. "It's actually kind of funny when you think about it." He started to laugh, but one angry look from Michael made him stop.

"No, it is not funny! This is so embarrassing!"

Hunter snickered again. "I'll just go upstairs and let you guys finish. I know how disappointing it can be to get all revved up and not finish." With a smirk, he turned and went up the stairs. "Use a condom," he called back.

"That did not just happen," Michael muttered, putting his shirt back on.

"It did." Ben sat down next to him and sighed. "Well, that definitely was not what I had in mind when I thought of how all this was going to end."

"Me neither." Michael––fully dressed now––rolled his eyes. "I think we just scarred him for life."

"I doubt that. He used to be a hustler. I'm sure he's seen a lot worse," Ben assured him.

"Yeah, but we're his fathers. It's always weirder when you see your parents doing it."

"Are you speaking from experience?" Ben couldn't help but ask.

"I don't want to talk about it," Michael said quickly.

"Fine, let's change the subject," Ben suggested. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? What does that have to do with anything?"

"We're changing the subject, remember?"

"Oh, yeah."

Ben waited patiently for Michael to recover from his shock. "Tomorrow I have to go out to Brian and Justin's house to get Brian's Corvette," Michael said finally.

"What for?"

"He asked me to bring it to the airport for him."

"Oh."

"Did you have any plans?"

"I was hoping that you could take the day off tomorrow. I thought maybe you, me, and Hunter could do something fun together."

"Sorry." Michael shrugged apologetically. "If I don't bring Brian his car, he won't be able to get home."

"How are you going to get out there?"

"My mom's giving me a lift. You know, I could kiss Carl for buying that car for her."

"Why?"

Michael sighed. "I'm sick of having to rely on my friends or a bike to get everywhere I want to go. Maybe if my book really is a hit, I'll buy a car."

"That would be nice," Ben agreed.

"Oh, come on! You don't want a car. You'd prefer to ride your bike everywhere."

"Okay, you got me." Ben laughed. "But I think getting yourself a car is a great idea."

"I want a Hummer," Hunter called down.

"What?" Michael exclaimed.

"You heard me." Hunter came into the room again.

"What makes you think I'd spend my hard earned money on a car for you?"

"Because you're my dad and that's what dads do."

"If you want a car, you can buy it yourself."

"You're kidding me, right! It sucks not having a car. My ass gets sore if I ride my bike too much and I fucking hate walking everywhere."

"Maybe if you stopped spending your money on overpriced jeans, you might have enough to buy yourself a car."

Hunter shook his head. "Fuck that. I don't want some piece of shit clunker that people are going to laugh at."

"No one would laugh at you," Ben assured him. "Most kids your age drive clunkers."

"Unless their parents are fucking rich," Hunter hinted.

"We'll talk about it," Michael said. "Maybe if you keep your grades up and make dean's list, we'll consider it. But don't get your hopes up."

"All right." Hunter sighed. "I'm going to go get a pizza. You guys want some?"

"Sure," Ben said. "Let me give you some money." He got up from the couch.

"My treat," Hunter said determinedly. He turned to leave. "Oh, and I'll call before I come back. I don't want to interrupt you guys fucking again."

"Thanks a lot." Michael scowled.

"Bye." Hunter couldn't resist grinning mischievously over his shoulder at Michael on his way out.

When they heard the door shut behind Hunter, Ben and Michael turned to each other. "Are you still in the mood?" Michael asked.

"I don't know. I think that might've put me off sex for a while."

Mmm hmm." They stared at each other for another second before Michael jumped on Ben and ripped his shirt off.

* * *

The last night of Justin's show was the best yet. If possible, the gallery was even more packed than it had been on the previous nights, and the buzz surrounding the exhibit had gotten so out of control that Justin had been inappropriately grabbed a couple of times. Luckily, Brian had designated himself as bodyguard and made sure that nothing bad would happen to him. Justin had gladly let Brian usher him around. After the show, Justin had talked to Jackson about the offer. Jackson had been delighted to hear that Justin had accepted the offer.

The next morning, they woke up and stayed in bed, cuddling. "I cannot wait to get home," Justin murmured, tracing a line down Brian's abs.

"I thought you liked it here," Brian replied.

"I do, but I miss Pittsburgh. I miss Rage."

"I'm sure that Molly took good care of him for you."

"We'll see about that." Justin laughed. "You know what I miss the most?"

"What?"

"The house."

"The house," Brian repeated, arching an eyebrow.

"Mmm hmm. I just want to go home and rest up so we can fuck in every room again."

"Sounds good to me." Brian reached over and cupped his hand around Justin's cheek.

Justin soaked up the attention. He was utterly drained from the art show and wanted to be loved and pampered. "Thank God we're going home today."

"Yeah, I need to get back to work before Ted takes over my firm."

"I highly doubt that he could or would do that."

"You never know. He's not the pathetic loser he used to be," Brian mused.

"What time is it?" Justin asked, unwilling to roll over and look at the clock.

"Going on two," Brian answered.

"We have to get going soon, but I don't want to get out of bed. I don't know if I have enough energy."

"Just think: we still have to fly back to Pittsburgh. You can sleep the whole time."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"What will you do to keep yourself entertained?"

Brian shrugged. "I'll figure something out. Don't stay up on my account."

"I probably won't even be able to sleep. Remember how noisy it was on the flight here?"

"That noisy brat that kept screaming?" Brian cringed at the memory. "I could've done without that."

"We won't let our kids get like that, right?"

"Of course not. You should know better than anyone that I fucking hate kids. The only ones that I don't mind are ours. The last thing I would do is raise ours to be loud, obnoxious brats."

"Yeah, you're right."

"You still haven't heard from Daphne?"

"Not yet. Hopefully she doesn't go into labor while we're on the plane."

"We wouldn't know until we land," Brian reminded him. "No cell phones."

"Damn."

"You could always sneak into the bathroom and check it."

"Good idea. Not that it will make much of a difference: once we're off the ground, all we can do is wait."

"We'd better get going."

Grudgingly, they got up and showered. They had packed everything up the night before so that they could relax before their long trip back home. After taking a hot shower, they got dressed and brought all of their luggage downstairs. They still had to check out, even though the bill was being covered by the gallery. As always, the car was waiting outside to take them to the airport. They got in and settled back against the seats while the bellhops loaded the luggage into the car's trunk. When everything was loaded, the driver started the car. Lulled by the motion of the car, Justin fell asleep, resting his head on Brian's chest.

When they got the airport, Brian gently woke Justin up. After getting out of the car, Justin forcefully gave the driver a tip. "Take it!" he insisted. "You've done a good job for the past two weeks. Accept this as a thank you. Tired of arguing about the matter, the driver pocketed the money and muttered his thanks. Brian grabbed their bags and led the way into the airport. Before long, they boarded the plane and got into their seats. "The plane's pretty empty," Brian noted, looking around at all of the vacant seats.

"That's weird," Justin replied.

"I'll take an empty plane over a crowded one any day."

"Me, too." Justin checked to make sure that the stewardess's attention was elsewhere and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Anything?" Brian asked.

"Nope. I think it's safe to say that we have a few more days until we need to really worry."

"Good." They settled back into their seats and before long, were both out cold.

When the plane landed in Pittsburgh, Brian halted past the gate. "I have to go take a piss," he said, just loud enough for Justin to hear.

"Okay. I'll wait right here." Brian disappeared into the bathroom and a few seconds later, Justin's cell phone vibrated. Rolling his eyes, Justin answered the call. "Brian, I am not going to come in there and have sex with you. Sorry to disappoint, but airport bathrooms are gross. Just wait until we get out to the car. I'll blow you."

"Justin." The voice wasn't deep enough to be Brian's.

"Daphne?"

"My water just broke." Justin's heart started to hammer in his chest. It was time.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin rush to the hospital to be there for the birth of their daughter.


	110. Birth

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin flew home from New York. At the airport, Justin got a call from Daphne saying that her water had broken.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Nine

"Justin?"

Justin's heart was pounding so loudly in his ear that he couldn't hear Daphne. In fact, he wasn't even sure that he had heard her correctly. After all this time, the baby was finally on its way! He was going to be a father!

Brian came out of the bathroom. "Ready to go?" He didn't get an answer. "Justin?" he said, taking in the sight. Justin was standing, mouth agape, holding his phone away from his ear. "Is everything okay?" His stomach knotted up in worry.

"It's time," Justin muttered, handing his phone to Brian. He was smiling.

"Time for what?" Justin didn't answer. Brian put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Brian?"

"Daphne?"

"Is Justin okay? He hasn't said anything."

"I don't know. What the fuck is going on?"

"My water broke."

"What!" Brian exclaimed.

"About five minutes ago. I'm on my way to the hospital."

"Which one?"

"Allegheny General."

"Ten minutes." Brian hung up and spun to face Justin. "Justin. Sunshine," he said softly, taking Justin's head in his hands.

"It's time!" Justin laughed, tears springing up. "It's time."

Brian couldn't resist smiling. "Yes, it is. Now, come on, we have to get over to the hospital."

"Let's go." Justin picked up the bags and they hurried out the car. Luckily, Michael had kept his word and dropped it off. "Where is she?"

"Allegheny General," Brian answered.

"Thank God this happened now and not when we got all the way back home. I'd rather be a few minutes away than half an hour away."

"The timing couldn't be more perfect," Brian agreed, starting the engine.

"Should we call the others?" Justin asked.

"I really don't think Daphne's going to want the whole group watching. I'll call Michael later and you can call your mother if you want to."

"You're right. God, I can't think straight. I'm so excited!"

"Me, too." Brian looked over at Justin and smiled. Justin clasped Brian's hand. They were in this together.

Traffic was light––thankfully––and they were at the hospital in about ten minutes. Unfortunately, the parking lot was jam packed. "I'll park, you go in and find out what's going on," Brian said, stopping to let Justin out.

"Okay." Justin threw his seatbelt off and tore the door open.

"Wait!" Brian called.

"What?" Justin turned around, bouncing with nervous energy.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." Justin leaned back into the car and pressed his lips against Brian's. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Okay." Brian watched Justin rush across the parking lot for a second before pulling forward.

Justin ran into the hospital and immediately went to the nurse's station. "Can I help you?" the nurse asked, looking up from her computer screen.

"Yeah. Uh, my friend's having a baby," Justin explained, glancing around for Daphne.

"What's her name?"

"Daphne Chanders."

"One moment please." The nurse typed Daphne's name into the computer and waited for the results to pop up. "Oh, yes, here she is. Her room is being prepared right now."

"Where is she?"

"She's on the fourth floor," the nurse replied. "Room 406."

"Thanks." Justin managed a smile before turning to find the elevator. _Brian!_ he thought, mentally slapping himself. "My husband's going to be coming along in a few minutes. Can you...?"

"Of course, sir." Justin looked down at the nurse's name tag.

"Thank you, Thea."

"My pleasure." Thea smiled politely and turned back to her work.

Justin got in the elevator and hit the button for the fourth floor. Agonizingly slowly, the doors closed and the elevator started to rise. He tapped his foot impatiently. _Come on! Come on! Come on!_ he screamed in his head. As soon as the doors opened, Justin was out and down the hall, eyes roaming. He found Daphne sitting on a bench outside of her room. She was breathing heavily and clutching her stomach. "Daph!" he called, waving.

"Hey, Justin," she managed, smiling tightly.

"Is everything okay?"

"They did a quick check up when I came in, everything's fine for now." She looked behind him. "Where's Brian?"

"He's parking the car," Justin answered, sitting down next to Daphne. "How do you feel?"

"Like I want to die," Daphne admitted, chuckling. Justin noticed that beads of sweat had broken out of her forehead and she was biting her lip to keep her mind off of the contractions. "And it's only going to get worse."

"You'll be fine," Justin soothed, giving her hand a squeeze. Daphne smiled gratefully.

Brian came out the elevator and saw them. "There you are. Is every...?"

"Everything's fine," Daphne replied shortly. Obviously she was getting irritated with everyone asking her if everything was okay.

"Ms. Chanders?" the nurse asked, coming out the room. "Your room is ready."

"Thanks." Brian and Justin helped Daphne to her feet and walked her into the room. The nurse handed Daphne a hospital gown.

"We need to get you into this, okay?"

"Okay." Daphne looked past the nurse to Brian and Justin.

"We'll be in the hall," Brian said, pulling Justin out the door with him.

"God, I could use a cigarette right now," Justin muttered.

"We could go up on the roof and share one," Brian suggested. "By the time we get back, they might have her all set up and ready to go."

Justin cast a glance over his shoulder at Daphne's door. If something happened, the nurse would come and find them. "Let's go." They went down the hall to the stairs and after climbing all the way to the top, came out on the roof. "It's freezing out here," Justin said, shivering.

"We won't take too long," Brian promised. He pulled a cigarette out of his metal case and quickly lit it. He inhaled and passed it over to Justin.

"Thanks." Justin pulled his coat tighter and took a drag of the cigarette, letting the smoke fill his lungs. The nicotine caused his tongue to tingle. "How long do you think this is going to take?" he asked finally, looking out over the snow covered city. The sun had gone down hours before and the moonlight reflected off of the snow.

Brian shrugged. "Lindsay was in labor with Gus for six hours. I've heard it can last for up to eight hours for a first child."

"Shit. We're going to be here all night. Can we do that?"

"You took tomorrow off, right?"

"Yeah. I knew that I would be too tired to go to class after everything."

"Well, Ted's in charge for one more day, so there's nothing stopping us from staying."

"And my mom and Molly are taking care of the puppy, so we don't have to worry about him."

"So it looks like we'll be staying here tonight," Brian declared.

"Where are we going to sleep?"

"We'll figure something out. There's a hotel just down the street if we need it."

"Okay." Justin took another drag on the cigarette and handed it back to Brian.

Brian held the cigarette between his index and middle fingers for a second. "You know, I haven't been up here since the night Gus was born."

"Wow. Five years."

"And I thought the biggest change in my life was having a child."

"If you'd only known just how much trouble I was going to be, I bet you would've taken me to Daphne's house."

"Nope. I still would've taken you home and fucked you." He wrapped his arm around Justin, pulling him close against the cold wind.

"Really?"

"Without a hesitation." Brian leaned in and kissed Justin. "You are well worth the trouble."

"Well you were worth the wait." He laughed and snuggled closer to Brian, shivering.

"Do you want to go back in?"

"In a minute." Justin smiled. "I want to stay like this for a little longer."

Brian looked down at him, arching an eyebrow. "What? You think that this is the last time that I'm going to hold you?"

"No. It's just that the baby's almost here and once she's born, I'm going to be so busy taking care of her all the time that I won't be able to do this with you anytime I want to."

"I'll be right there alongside you taking care of her," Brian reminded him. "We'll still find a way to cuddle."

"Promise?"

"Promise." He laughed and kissed the top of Justin's head. "Now, are you ready to go back in?"

"Yes."

"Good. It must be fucking below zero out here."

"Come on, you big baby." Justin took Brian's hand. "Let's go back in."

"You're going to pay for that," Brian promised, following Justin back through the door into the stairwell.

When they got back down to Daphne's room, she was in her hospital gown and lounging on the bed. "I wondered where you guys went off to," she said, grinning. "A little quickie?"

"No Daph, we went up for a smoke," Justin insisted, sitting down on the bed next to her. "How are your contractions?"

"More painful than I ever imagined."

"I mean, are they close together?"

"Kind of." Daphne lay back against her pillow. "You know that I wouldn't go through this for anybody else, right?"

"Yes, and I love you tremendously for doing this. Thank you."

"I was only kidding." Daphne laughed. "Don't get all emotional on me."

"Sorry." Justin grinned. "You're supposed to be the emotional one."

"Thanks!" Daphne slapped his arm.

"Play nice," Brian teased. "I don't have to break you two up."

"We've done worse," Daphne assured him. "One time when we were really little, I beat him up."

"You promised you'd never tell anyone!" Justin exclaimed, blushing.

"Oh, come on, it's only Brian."

"I can never look at you the same way," Brian said, deadpan. Justin glared at him until they both erupted into laughter.

A nurse came in to check on Daphne. "How are you feeling?" she asked, checking to see how much Daphne had dilated.

"Like my insides are being ripped apart," Daphne replied.

"I get that all the time," the nurse confessed, laughing. "Oh, by the way, my name is Makyla. I'll be here all night."

"It isn't going to take that long, is it?" Daphne asked, whimpering.

"It could. But don't worry, you're in good hands. Now, why don't you try to get some sleep and I'll come in and check on you in awhile, okay?" Smiling at Brian and Justin, Makyla went to check on her next patient.

"Where's your doctor?" Justin queried.

"He's on his way."

"Good." Justin turned to Brian. "We better get comfortable," he said.

Brian nodded. "I'm going to go down to the car and get our pillows. Is there anything else you want from the car?"

"My toothbrush?" Justin suggested.

"I'll be right back." He smiled at Daphne before leaving.

"Do you remember when you didn't want to talk to him about having a baby?" Daphne asked.

"Yeah."

"Look at how wrong you were. He wants this as much as you do."

"Yeah, he does." Justin grinned. "I guess if there's one lesson I can take away from all of this, it's that he loves me and would do anything for me."

"It took you this long to realize that?" Daphne laughed in disbelief. "I've known that for years."

"I'm a little slow on the uptake, okay?"

"Apparently." Daphne grimaced as she had a contraction. "Sleeping is going to be even more fun tonight than it normally is."

"Aren't you going to get something for the pain?"

"When the time comes I will. There's really no reason yet. I haven't even dilated all the way."

"Okay, I don't need to know anymore." Justin scrunched his face up in disgust.

Daphne was about to continue, when Brian came back with his arms full of their belongings. "Your toothbrush," he said, handing it to Justin.

"Thanks." Justin went into the little bathroom to brush his teeth.

"Where are you guys going to sleep?" Daphne asked.

"Well, I figured we'd just crawl into bed with you," Brian joked.

"I don't think there's room for all three of us in here." Daphne giggled.

"I guess we'll just have to sleep in the chair." Brian pointed to the chair in the corner of the room.

"Your turn," Justin announced, coming back into the room.

"I'll be right back." Brian disappeared into the bathroom.

"What were you guys talking about?"

"Sleeping arrangements." Daphne tried to sit up but failed. "You guys are sleeping in the chair.

"Sounds comfortable."

"At least you're not having contractions," Daphne reminded him.

"Good point."

A few minutes later, Brian came out of the bathroom and dimmed the lights. "I don't know about you two, but I'm exhausted." He yawned.

"Me, too. Good night, Daph."

"Good night." Daphne smiled as Brian leaned back in the chair and Justin sat on his lap, resting against his chest. They pulled the blanket up and within a few minutes, were both asleep. _If only I were that lucky._

* * *

Brian could hear voices. He opened his eye a crack and saw the doctor and Makyla by Daphne's bed. A groan escaped Daphne's lips. He gently shook Justin awake. "Come on," he said. "It's time." They got to their feet and stood at the foot of Daphne's bed. Glancing down at his watch, he was that it was two in the morning.

"What's going on?" Justin asked. He could feel sweat forming on his brow.

"She's in labor," Makyla answered.

"Who are you two?" the doctor shot back.

"The fathers," Brian replied, his tone less than friendly.

"She's in labor," the doctor repeated. "The baby could come at any time now."

"Any time!" Justin exclaimed.

"Yes." The doctor shot Justin a dirty look. "You two need to get changed."

"What for?"

"It's procedure."

"I'll get you some scrubs," Makyla announced, hurrying out of the room. A few seconds later, she came back with two pairs of green scrubs.

"Well, they're hardly Gucci, but I guess they'll do," Brian quipped.

"Let's go change." Justin took his hand and dragged him into the bathroom.

* * *

A few hours later, Daphne screamed in pain and looked over at Justin, fear in her eyes. He grabbed her hand, holding it tightly. "You're going to be okay," he promised, his tone soft.

"What about pain medication?" Brian asked.

"She already got it," the doctor replied. "We can't give her any more, she'll overdose."

"Oh, God!" Daphne cried, tears spilling down her cheeks. "It hurts!"

"Push, Daphne!" Makyla encouraged.

"Anything?" Justin licked his lips nervously.

"It's coming," the doctor said, ignoring Justin.

"One more push," Makyla continued.

From Brian's position, he could see everything. Brian wasn't a fan of vaginas – except certain under circumstances – but knowing that at any second, the baby would be coming, he couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Come here." He held out his hand to Justin.

"You're going to fine," Justin assured Daphne. He let go of her hand and went to Brian. "Wow," he gasped.

"Yeah..." Brian watched in awe.

With one more push, the baby was born. Daphne sagged back against the pillows and heaved a sigh of relief. Makyla took the wailing baby from the doctor's arms, clipped the umbilical cord, and wrapped her in a blanket, gently clearing her airways. She brought the baby over to Brian and Justin first. "Isn't she beautiful?" Justin murmured, tears falling from his eyes.

"Yes, she is." Brian nonchalantly wiped a tear away.

"Did you have a name picked out?" Makyla asked.

"We decided on..." Brian began.

"Brianna," Justin interjected quickly. Brian turned to him and raised his eyebrows quizzically.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian calls Michael and tells him the good news.


	111. Afterbirth

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Arriving home from New York, Brian and Justin got a call from Daphne telling them that her water had broken. They rushed to the hospital and in the wee hours of the morning, she gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Ten

Warm in his bed, Michael was comfortably asleep. He was dreaming about camping with Ben, Hunter, and JR. A beeping noise cut through his sleep like a knife through butter, bringing him back to consciousness. He heard the noise again. _What the hell is that? _he wondered. He opened his eyes and saw that his cell phone's screen was illuminated. _Who would call me at this hour! _"Hello?" he said groggily.

"Mikey." Of course. Brian. What, had he called to rub it in Michael's face that he was having hot, passionate sex and Michael wasn't?

"Do you know what time it is?" Michael looked at the clock on his bedside stand. "It's four thirty in the morning. What is so important that it couldn't wait until later?"

"It's happened," Brian said simply.

"What? Justin finally wore you out? You two finally broke your bed? Your dick finally refused to get hard because you use it too much?"

"Very funny asshole."

"I thought so." Michael giggled. "Seriously though, what happened?"

"What the fuck do you think?"

"Daphne had the baby!" Michael sat bolt upright in bed and a smile pulled at his lips.

"Yeah."

"When?"

"About twenty minutes ago."

"Allegheny General, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be right there."

Michael hung up and threw the blankets back. He climbed out of bed and fumbled around on the floor for his pants. "You can turn the light on," Ben said, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Michael turned on the lamp and immediately shut his eyes at the sudden bright light.

"It's okay. Where are you going?"

"The hospital. Daphne had the baby."

"She did? When?"

"About twenty minutes ago."

"But she's about four weeks early…"

"Apparently the baby was ready to come now."

"Hold on, I'll come with you." Ben sat up and looked around for his glasses.

"No, you don't have to," Michael protested. "You have class in a few hours. You need all the sleep you can get."

"I guess." Ben blew air out of his cheeks. "How are you going to get there?"

Michael thought about it for a few seconds. "I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet," he realized.

"And call your mother?"

"No. Emmett."

"Emmett?"

"Calvin will probably let us borrow his car."

"Is Brian really going to want all you guys there? You know how crabby he can be."

"What choice do I have?" He sighed in frustration. "This is why we need a car."

"Yeah," Ben agreed.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Michael promised, kissing Ben on the cheek. "Go back to sleep."

"Tell them congratulations for me."

"I will." Michael turned out the light and crept down the stairs. When he was out of earshot of Ben and Hunter, he called Emmett.

"What?" Emmett whined, half asleep.

"Hey, Em. What are you doing?" Michael asked lamely.

"Uh sleeping. Isn't that what normal people are doing at four thirty in the morning?"

"Yeah, good point." He laughed nervously. "I have a favor I need to ask."

"Can't it wait until the sun comes up?"

"I wish it could."

Emmett sighed. "Fine. What is it?" Michael had forgotten just how ornery Emmett could be if his beauty sleep got interrupted.

"Daphne had the baby."

"That's great," Emmett mumbled sarcastically.

"I need a ride over to the hospital."

"You owe me big time for this," Emmett said sternly.

"You bet. When my book gets published, I'll buy you your own lot so you can finally open up that clothes store you always dreamed of."

"Mmmhmm. Can I get that in writing?"

"Em..."

"Give me fifteen minutes."

"Thanks."

Fifteen minutes later, Emmett pulled up outside of the house. Quietly, Michael went out the front door, closing it softly behind him. He got into the car and fastened his seat belt. "Thanks for doing this, Em."

"You're welcome." Emmett managed to muster up a tight smile.

"There's Sister Mary Sunshine," Michael teased.

"Sister Mary Go-Fuck-Yourself," Emmett reminded him.

"I always get those two mixed up."

"Let's do this so I can get back to bed."

"Okay." Michael rolled his eyes at Emmett's attitude. _Lighten up, Em, these things happen_,he thought sardonically.

"I'm glad that they waited until after the baby was born to call," Emmett confessed.

"Why?"

"I don't think I could take all of that labor drama. If I had to see the head coming out, I'd probably pass out like I did at Gus's Bris."

"Probably," Michael agreed, chuckling.

"Either that or I would have thrown up at the sight of Daphne's pussy."

"God, Emmett!" Michael chastised. "Make me sick why don't you!"

"Sorry, sweetie, I'm just telling it like it is."

"We both would've been vomiting," Michael joined in. Emmett laughed.

Back at the hospital, Brian massaged Justin's shoulders, smiling when he heard the small moan of pleasure escape Justin's lips. "We did it," he said quietly.

"We did." Brian could hear the smile in his voice. "We're parents."

"To Brianna," Brian replied pointedly.

"Is that okay?" Justin asked, turning to face Brian. "I know we agreed on Kaya..."

"It's fine."

"It's just that as soon as I saw her...I don't know, something came over me and I knew that she wasn't a Kaya. She was a Brianna."

"Brianna," Brian repeated, smiling.

"After her sexy," he kissed Brian's ear, "intelligent, loving, caring, sexy..." He emphasized each compliment with kiss.

"You already said that."

"Father," Justin finished with an accomplished smile. He looped his arm around the back of Brian's neck and pulled him down for a real kiss.

Over by Daphne, Brianna started to cry. Justin pulled away from Brian and looked at their daughter. "She's probably hungry," Daphne said, gently rocking the baby in her arms.

"Do you want to breast-feed her, or are you going to use formula?" Makyla asked, hovering at the edge of the bed.

"Um..." Daphne looked over at Brian and Justin helplessly.

"Formula," Justin answered for her.

"I'll be right back." Makyla smiled down at Brianna and went to get a bottle.

"Thanks," Daphne said, scoffing. "I didn't know what to say."

"I figured it wouldn't make sense to get her breast feeding since Brian and I don't have breasts," Justin reminded her.

"Good point." Daphne sighed. "I am so tired, you have no idea!"

"Why don't you try to get some sleep?" Brian suggested. "Justin and I can feed the baby."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Get your rest."

"Okay." Daphne settled back into the bed and closed her eyes, breathing evenly.

Brian could hear footsteps from outside and assumed that it was Makyla coming back with the bottle. "Hey." It wasn't Makyla. It was Michael. And Emmett. They took in Daphne's sleeping form and stopped in the doorway.

"Hey, Mikey." Brian's lips twitched into a tight smile. "Thanks for coming."

"Don't mention it." He hugged Brian and kissed him on the cheek. "Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"You, too," Michael said, turning to Justin. "Come here." He went to hug Justin, but stopped when he saw the baby in his arms. "Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"Oh, she's precious!" Michael cooed, rubbing the baby's cheek with his finger. "Baby Kaya."

"Actually, we decided not to name her Kaya," Justin corrected him.

"You didn't? What did you name her then?"

"Brianna." Justin's eyes glowed.

"Very clever." Michael laughed. "Just like her daddy." He smiled at Brian again. "How's Daphne doing?"

"Fine," Justin replied.

"She's out like a light," Michael noted.

"Her pain medication wore out before she was done. I can only imagine how she must feel."

"Yeah." Michael noticed that something was missing. He craned his neck to see that Emmett was still in the doorway, chewing his lip. "Are you coming in?" he asked.

"Maybe for a minute," Emmett yielded, quietly walking into the room.

He stopped at Michael's side and looked down at the newborn. Immediately, he felt a warm glow in his chest. The foul mood that had been hanging over him dissipated. "She's adorable," he whispered.

"Do you want to hold her?" Justin asked.

"I-I don't know..." Emmett's heart started to pound. He hadn't held a baby in a long, long time. _What if I drop her?_

"Go on," Brian encouraged, catching Emmett's eye. "You've held Gus before."

"Oh, all right." Emmett took baby Brianna in his arms and smiled. "Hello there, gorgeous. I'm your Auntie Em. I'm going to be the one to teach you how to apply makeup and make sure that you know absolutely everything about fashion."

"Oh, Christ, Emmett," Brian muttered.

"What? It's the truth." He stuck his tongue out at Brian. "I'm certainly not her uncle."

"Maybe you could be her guncle," Justin suggested wryly.

"How Tori Spelling of you."

"Thanks." Justin chuckled.

"You know, I have completely fallen in love with her," Emmett confessed, unable to tear his eyes away. It was true. In the few short seconds that he had been holding the baby, Emmett immediately felt a strange affection for her, something he had not felt for a child before.

"Well, that's a first," Brian quipped. "Emmett's in love with a girl."

"Very funny, Brian."

Makyla came back into the room and handed the bottle to Justin. "You know how to do it, right?" she asked.

"Yeah. I've fed babies before." Makyla excused herself again, promising to come back in fifteen minutes to check up on them. Emmett handed Brianna back to Justin, who sat down in the chair and lay the baby in the crook of his arm, her head elevated.

"Well, we'd better get going," Michael said. "You guys are busy."

"We'll come back tomorrow...actually today," Emmett continued. Brian looked at him quizzically. "I need sleep," he confessed.

"But first, let me take a few pictures." Michael pulled a camera out of his coat pocket and took a picture of Justin feeding the baby, with Brian leaning over Justin's shoulder, a proud smile illuminating his face. "One more," Michael promised. He snapped another one and put the camera away. "See you later."

"Bye." Emmett waved, walking backward so that he could keep an eye on the baby.

"Bye, guys," Justin said distractedly.

When Emmett and Michael were gone, Justin started to feed the baby. "This feels weird," he admitted.

"What does?" Brian asked softly, mindful not to wake up Daphne.

"Holding her. I was starting to think that she'd never get here."

"Well lucky for the both of us, you were wrong." He squeezed Justin's shoulder.

"Do you want to feed her?" Justin peered up at Brian hopefully.

"Sure." Brian took Brianna from Justin and sat down. "Did you call your mother?"

"No. I figured it was too late to bother her. I'll wait until the afternoon. She can stop by on her lunch hour."

"Okay."

Justin watched Brian feed the baby for a few minutes. There was a noticeable light in Brian's eyes that hadn't been there earlier and he could not stop smiling for the life of him. Brian had wanted the baby as badly as Justin had, that was apparent. _Who would have guessed?_ "You're beautiful," Brian whispered, kissing the top of Brianna's head. "Not as beautiful as your father, but still..." Justin smiled at that.

"I'm going to go down the hall and see what they have in the vending machines. Do you want anything?"

"I'm good. Here, take some money." He pulled his wallet out and tossed it to Justin.

"Thanks." Even though Justin could afford to buy his own snacks from the vending machine, he knew that Brian wouldn't let him, and it wasn't worth arguing over. At least Brian cared. "I'll be right back."

While Justin went to find something to eat, Brian looked down at his daughter. Sure, she looked absolutely nothing like him or Justin, but that didn't mean that she wasn't their daughter. He didn't care what she looked like. He loved her just the same. "Wait until you meet your big brother," he said. "You two are going to get along fabulously." It would take Gus some time to adjust to not being the only kid around, but he'd get used to it. They all would. The next time that Brian glanced down at Brianna, her eyes were closed. _Hopefully it will always be this easy,_ he thought wryly.

He set the bottle aside and pulled the blanket up so that the baby was protected against any chills.

Justin came back with a little box of Cheerio's. "Is she asleep?" he asked around a mouthful of cereal.

"Yeah," Brian answered. "We'd probably better get going home soon."

"Home? You mean we're not going to stay here?"

"What for? The baby's asleep and when she wakes up in a few hours, the nurse will feed her. Wouldn't you like to get some sleep and take a nice, hot shower?"

"Yes." Justin had to agree that the idea of long shower was tantalizing. "What about Daphne?"

"She'll be fine. By the time she wakes up, we'll be back."

"All right," Justin conceded.

"Everything okay?" Makyla asked from the doorway.

"She's asleep," Justin answered.

"Okay." Makyla took Brianna from Brian's arms. "I'll go put her in the nursery. You two should go home and get some rest. It couldn't have been comfortable trying to sleep in that chair."

"You're telling me," Brian grumbled, rubbing a sore spot on the back on his neck. "We'll be back in a couple of hours."

"We'll take good care of her," Makyla promised.

"Bye, honey." Justin kissed Brianna's cheek softly and watched Makyla walk away with her. He felt a pang in his heart, but didn't let it show. There was no point crying about something he had no control over. "Let's go," he said.

Brian got the stuff rounded together while Justin wrote Daphne a quick note saying that they had gone home for a bit and would be back as soon as they woke up. Together, they carried their bags down to the car. As they got in, the sun slowly started to rise, turning the sky a dark red. Brian started the car and slowly, they drove out of the parking lot. The streets were practically empty due to the time, the only people out and about being the ones on their way to work. The city had yet to wake up. "Well, this should make the drive home easier," Brian mused.

"No traffic," Justin agreed. His eyes started to grow heavy and he leaned back against the headrest, trying to get comfortable.

"You can lean on me," Brian offered, smiling.

"I thought you were sore," Justin reminded him.

"I am, but I'll be fine. Come on."

"Okay." Justin leaned over and rested his head on Brian's shoulder as he had done many times. For some reason, this time felt different. Brian lay the side of his head on top of Justin's and within a few minutes, he could hear Justin breathing evenly.

By sheer force of will, he managed to stay awake for the whole drive back to West Virginia. He had had plenty of practice operating on only an hour or so of sleep, but the fact that he had been on a plane and then everything that had happened since only made matters worse. When he drove up the long driveway, he heaved a sigh of relief. They were finally home and he could finally get some proper sleep in a bed, not that uncomfortable chair in the hospital room.

Shutting off the car's engine, he went around to Justin's door and opened it. Justin was still fast asleep. Brian watched him for a second, his heart melting. Justin was even more adorable when he was asleep. He looked just like he had the night they had first met; young and beautiful. Brian didn't have to heart to wake him. Instead, he gently lifted Justin up into his arms and carried him inside and up to the bedroom. That used up the last of the energy he had. Falling onto the bed, he managed to get both his and Justin's shoes off before his eyes refused to stay open any longer.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin visit Daphne and the baby at the hospital.


	112. Joy

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Daphne gave birth to a healthy baby girl, which Justin named Brianna.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Eleven

Slowly, Justin regained consciousness. The first thing he noticed was that the room was quiet except for Brian's gentle breathing next to him. _Did I dream it all? _he wondered, sitting up. He was in bed, back home. Looking down at himself, he saw that he was wearing the same clothes that he had been wearing the day before. It couldn't have been a dream, he remembered holding his daughter. No, it had happened. He couldn't recall how he had ended up in bed. The last thing he fully remembered was Brian feeding the baby. The rest was a little muddled. Whatever had happened, he felt like he'd only gotten an hour or so of sleep.

Carefully, he got out of bed and padded into the bathroom. Shutting the door behind him, he turned on the faucet for the sink and splashed cold water on his face to wake him up. Closing the lid of the toilet, Justin sat down, resting his head in his hands. The baby had been born earlier that morning. He could vaguely remember the sound of Daphne groaning in pain and the high pitched wailing of a newborn baby. _Thank God it wasn't a dream!_ Standing up, he crossed the room and went back out into the bedroom.

Brian was still asleep, a slight wheezing noise coming from his nose. _He should really get that deviated septum taken care of,_ Justin thought, climbing back into bed. If his sleep deprived brain could be trusted, the baby was waiting at the hospital. He didn't want to wake up Brian though, not yet. If he was still asleep, he must have been exhausted. Justin pulled the blankets back up and moved closer to Brian, who rolled over and put his arm around him. While he lay there, Justin's mind raced. Now that the baby had been born, things were forever changed. For the better. He couldn't wait to get back to the hospital and hold her again. He could still feel her in his arms, much in the same way as he had felt Brian inside of him after they had made love for the first time.

Unable to fall back asleep, Justin turned and looked at Brian, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. Usually, Brian didn't sleep in his clothes, but he still had shirt on. _He must have fallen asleep before he could take them off,_ Justin figured. Brian must have been dreaming about something good because a smile broke out on his face, making him look like a little boy. Justin reached out and tenderly stroked his cheek, feeling the warmth that radiated from him. He moved his hand into Brian's hair and idly started to curl a strand at the nape of his neck. The smile on Brian's face broadened as he woke up. "Good morning," Justin said, unable to keep from smiling, too.

"Good morning." Brian stretched and yawned. "What time is it?"

Justin craned his neck around to peer at the clock. "Oh, shit," he murmured.

"What?" Brian asked, rubbing the kink out of his neck.

"It's twelve thirty," Justin replied, jumping out of bed.

"I guess we overslept."

"Yeah. We were pretty tired." He started to walk into the bathroom.

"Where are you going?"

"To take a shower. Are you coming?"

"I was hoping we could have a little quickie," Brian said, grinning devilishly.

"I'd love to," Justin assured him. "But we have to get back the hospital."

"Fine." Brian did his best to cover up his disappointment. Justin was right, the baby was more important. He got out of bed and stumbled after Justin into the bathroom.

Brian reached into the shower and turned it on. He waited until the water was hot before he stripped. Justin watched, his heart beating faster than normal. "Yes?" Brian asked, catching him.

"Nothing," Justin lied, pulling his shirt off. "I was just spacing out."

"Sure." Brian grinned. "Now, come on, we have to go see the baby." He grabbed Justin's hand and pulled him into the shower behind him. "Turn around," he ordered. "I'll do your back."

"Thanks." Justin turned around so that his back was to Brian, who grabbed the bar of soap. He started innocently enough between Justin's shoulder blades.

"How does that feel?" Brian asked softly.

"Good." Actually, it felt more than good, but Justin was not going to tell Brian that.

"Good." Brian kissed the back of Justin's neck and then slowly, sensually started to work his way down, covering every inch of Justin's back.

Despite the steaming hot water, Justin shivered with delight. He was starting to forget why he didn't want to have sex with Brian yet. "Do you want me to keep going?" Brian's breath was hot on the back of Justin's neck.

"Yes," he whispered, breathless. Brian continued downward, lathering soap on Justin's ass. He felt himself stiffening and gave up.

"Fuck it," he gasped, whirling around.

"Fuck it?" Brian stared at him.

"Let's do it," Justin extrapolated.

"What about the baby?"

"Like you said, the nurse is taking care of her and Daphne's there just in case. We can stay here a little longer."

"I don't want to push you into something you don't want to do," Brian said, suddenly serious. "If you don't want to do this, it's fine."

"No, I want to."

"Okay then."

"But," Justin held up a hand, "just a quickie."

"Just a quickie," Brian promised, dropping the bar of soap.

Their bodies crashed together under the stream of water, their hands exploring each other's bodies. As they kissed, Justin forced his tongue into Brian's mouth, running it along his teeth until Brian's tongue met his. Brian broke the kiss and spun Justin around in his arms so they his back was to him again. "Ready?"

"Yes." Justin was grinning expectantly. He was more than ready, he was aching for it.

"Good." With Justin's assent, Brian slipped in, closing his eyes as the ecstatic sensation washed over him. He moved his hips, holding on to Justin tightly, wanting to never let go.

Brian had kept his word and it was only a quickie, but that didn't make it any less satisfying for either of them. After it was over, Justin washed Brian's back, careful not to arouse him again, and they got out. "Are you going to call your mother?" Brian asked, toweling his hair dry.

"I'll call her when we're on our way. I don't want poor Daphne to be stuck alone with her for the whole drive."

"I'm sure Daphne could care less."

"Maybe, but I'm not taking my chances. You've never seen my mother around babies before."

"She's your mother, it's your call."

"How much do you want to bet that Michael or Emmett already told Deb and she's down there right now?"

"That's a bet I'd lose," Brian replied. "We both know how loose-lipped Emmett is. I'm sure he went to the diner first thing to tell her all about his new girlfriend."

"You don't think she'll be mad that we didn't call her, do you?" Justin asked warily. He didn't want to hurt Debbie's feelings. She had always been there for him and been like a second mother, he loved her very much.

"Let's hope she'll understand. If not, I guess we'll have to grovel."

"That sounds like fun," Justin said sarcastically.

"As long as she gets to hold the baby, she'll be fine."

"Do you think that we could swing by the diner on our way to the hospital?" Justin asked. "At least then it will seem like we wanted to tell her ourselves."

"That's fine with me. I'm starving."

"You should've gotten something from the vending machine last night," Justin teased.

"I don't eat food that comes out of a vending machine," Brian shot back.

Laughing, Justin went to go get some clothes for the baby. They hadn't bought much, not

knowing how big she would be, but Justin had found a little pair of pink pajamas and a couple of one piece jumpers that he had insisted that they buy. He loaded up the diaper bag with the clothes, some diapers, a couple of pacifiers, and two bottles. By the time he finished, Brian was all set to go.

They got in the car and Justin was about to put the diaper bag in the back seat, when he saw that it was already full. Their bags the trip were still in the car. Hurriedly, he took them out and set them in the house. Time was wasting. He kept a close eye on the clock as they drove. When they were about halfway to Pittsburgh, he called his mother. "What is it, honey?" Jennifer said when she picked up.

"Mom. Daphne had the baby."

"She did! When?"

"Early this morning, like, around five."

"Why didn't you call me? I would've come."

"You said that you were busy with work."

"I did, didn't I?" Jennifer was quiet for a moment. "I'm about to go on lunch, are you and Brian at the hospital?"

"We're on our way. We're going to stop by the diner first and get something to eat."

"I'll meet you there in about twenty minutes," Jennifer said.

"Okay, bye."

Justin hung up. "Well?" Brian prompted, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.

"She said she'd meet us there in about twenty minutes," Justin replied. "Hey, do you think we should stop by Daphne's apartment and bring her some clean clothes?"

"Do you have a key?" Brian asked.

"No."

"We'll stop by after we go to the hospital."

"Okay." Justin settled back into his seat and watched the snow covered scenery whizz past out the window.

"What are you thinking?" Brian inquired.

"Just how lucky we are." They both smiled.

When they got the diner, Justin dragged Brian in with him. Debbie turned around at the sound of the bell over the door ringing and immediately her face lit up with a grin. "There you two are!" she cried, crossing the room in big strides and smothering them both in a tight hug. "The two proud fathers of the cutest fucking baby Allegheny General has seen since my granddaughter was born."

"Deb," Brian rasped, his air way restricted. "Can't breathe."

"Sorry." Debbie let them go. "I'm just excited."

"We can tell," Brian mumbled, rubbing his sore throat.

"Congratulations!" Debbie exclaimed, pretending like she hadn't heard him.

"Thanks, Deb." Justin smiled kindly. "Have you seen her yet?"

"Of course! I went there about an hour ago on my break. She's goddamn adorable."

"Let me guess, Emmett told you," Brian said.

"Yeah. He and the boys were here for breakfast and they couldn't stop talking about it."

"Of course they couldn't."

Debbie smacked his arm playfully. "Lighten up!" she said sternly. "Michael told me how happy you were last night, so don't pretend like you could give a fuck less."

"I do care," Brian replied. "She's my daughter."

"We were actually on our way to see her now," Justin cut in. "We just came in to give you the good news and get something to eat."

"Already on it." Debbie boxed up some food and gave it to them. "Don't peek, it's a surprise. Oh, and there's some food for Daphne in there. I don't want her eating that disgusting hospital food. They can't even make Jell-o properly."

"Thanks, Deb."

Brian reached for his wallet, but Debbie shook her head. "On the house, kiddo."

"Thanks." He smiled tightly at her. He knew better than anyone that arguing with her was pointless. "We appreciate it."

"Anytime." She gave them both a kiss on the cheek. "Now get your asses over there. Your daughter's waiting for you."

"Bye, Deb." Justin waved over his shoulder.

"Bye, guys!"

When they got to the hospital, Jennifer was sitting on the edge of Daphne's bed, peering down at her granddaughter. "Hey," she said, smiling.

"Hi, Mom." Justin hugged her and looked at the baby.

"Mother Taylor." Brian nodded his head.

"Hello, Brian." She winked at him.

"How is she?" Justin asked Daphne.

"She's fine. They say she's perfectly healthy," Daphne replied, a proud smile on her face.

"How are you doing?"

"Better. I'm not all the way back to normal, but I'm getting there."

"Glad to hear it, Daph." Justin set one of the boxes of food on Daphne's lap. "This is from Deb."

"Oh, great, I'm starving! Have you eaten hospital food lately?" Daphne shivered with disgust.

"That's why Deb wanted you to have it."

Brian came closer and picked up the baby. "Hey there," he said softly, looking into her dark eyes.

"Hi, honey," Justin added, reaching over Brian's shoulder and holding out a pinky. Brianna wrapped her tiny little fist around it. Brian peered back at Justin and kissed him.

"Well, I'd better get going," Jennifer said. "I'm meeting a client in fifteen minutes."

"Can we stop by the house later?" Justin asked. "We have to pick up the dog."

"Oh, sure." Jennifer laughed. "Here, I'll give you a key just in case Molly's not home." She dug around in her purse for the spare key.

"Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, honey." She stroked his cheek lovingly. For a second, she hesitated, unable to look away from the baby. Forcefully, she took a step back. "I'll be back after work to check up on you," she promised.

"Bye, Mom."

"Bye."

Jennifer made her goodbyes to Brian and Daphne and left. When he was sure that his mother was out of earshot, Justin asked, "She hasn't been bothering you, has she?"

"Of course not," Daphne answered. "She was really nice. Unlike my mom."

"Does she know?"

"I called her this morning. She said she'd come at some point."

"What a bitch!" Justin exclaimed, laughing.

"Tell me about it. How often does your daughter have a baby?"

"Forget her, Daph. You don't need her dragging you down."

"No kidding."

"Hey, Daphne, do you want some clean clothes or something?" Brian asked, joining in the conversation.

"Sure. I'd love to get out of this hospital gown, it's kind of flimsy."

"I can run over to your apartment and get you some clothes," Brian offered.

Justin shook his head. "I'll do it. I'm sure Daphne doesn't want you digging through her underwear drawer."

"But you can?" Brian asked, arching an eyebrow.

"We're best friends, we can do that."

"Okay." Brian shrugged. "I'll stay here with Daphne and the baby. You go get her some clothes."

"Fine." Justin stood up. "Can I have your key, Daph?"

"Oh, right." Daphne laughed. "I'm so scatterbrained. Here," she handed him a key. "That'll get you in the main door and my door."

"Thanks." Justin leaned down and kissed both the baby and Brian. "I'll be right back."

"We'll be waiting," Brian tossed over his shoulder.

Before Justin could leave, the nurse came in. It wasn't Makyla from the night before, but a young black man. "Hi, I'm Roger."

"Hi," Justin said, smiling. "I'm Justin and this is Brian."

"Hey," Brian threw over his shoulder.

"Are you two the dads?"

"Yeah."

"You have a beautiful daughter."

"Thank you." Justin couldn't resist taking another peak at her.

"Do you have any questions?" Roger asked.

"Yeah, uh, when do we get to take her home?"

"In a couple of days." Roger looked down at the chart. "She was born early this morning, right?"

"Yeah, around four thirty.

"We want to keep her for a few days, just to make sure that everything's okay. It's just a precaution because she's a few weeks early. Let me assure you, though, that she's perfectly healthy. She'll be home with you guys by Thursday."

"Thanks." Justin nodded and walked out the door.

"Anything else?" Roger asked Brian and Daphne.

"We're fine, thanks," Brian assured him.

"Okay." Roger turned and walked out of the room.

Brianna started to cry and Brian reached into the diaper bag, pulling out a bottle. "Shit," he whispered. They hadn't brought any formula and Roger was all the way down the hall now.

"It's okay," Daphne said. "I can breast feed her for now."

"Oh." Daphne took Brianna from Brian and lay her in the crook of her arm.

"You might want to turn away," Daphne cautioned, tugging the neck of her hospital gown down.

"Nothing I haven't seen before," Brian muttered, keeping his eyes on the back of Brianna's head. The baby latched on to Daphne's breast and was immediately silent.

Daphne was quiet for a minute, staring down at the baby. "You and Justin look so happy," she noted, smiling at Brian.

"We are." Brian smiled back.

"He's wanted a baby for so long."

"But he was afraid I'd say no. I would have, too...before."

"Don't worry about that. What matters is that you've made him happy now."

"Yeah."

"I know you guys will make it. You're too good together." Brian nodded in agreement.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk:** In Brian's absense, Ted takes point on a major account. Emmett and Calvin discuss the future.


	113. Ted's Triumph

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Daphne gave birth to a baby girl, which Justin named Brianna.

Michael and Emmett went to the hospital to visit and Emmett fell in love with baby Brianna.

Because she was born about four weeks early, Brian and Justin were told that Brianna would have to stay a few days at the hospital just to make sure that everything was okay.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Twelve

Later that afternoon, Ted was in Brian's private bathroom at Kinnetik. Staring at his reflection in the mirror, he took deep, steadying breaths. _You can do this Ted,_ he told himself. _Brian left you in charge for a reason: he has the utmost confidence in you._ Yeah, right. Sighing loudly, he stalked out of the bathroom and into Brian's office. While Brian was away, Ted was allowed to use his office and private bathroom on the condition that he didn't fuck anything up, which considering that there was a big meeting with an important client in less than ten minutes, seemed highly unlikely. _I should probably start looking for another job,_ he thought, his stomach knotting up.

Cynthia came into the room. "Are you all set?" she asked, hovering in the doorway.

"Yeah," Ted lied, pasting a self-assured smile on his face. "I can handle this."

"Good. If we lose this account, Brian is going to be furious."

"No pressure, then," Ted said sardonically.

"You'll do fine," Cynthia assured him.

"Yeah."

"Well, they're going to be here any minute. I'm going to go keep an eye out for them. You stay in here and go over the pitch. I'll come and get you when we're ready."

"Thanks, Cynthia."

"Don't mention it." With a kind smile, Cynthia went back out into the hall.

Ted sat down at Brian's desk and went through the file again although he pretty much knew it by heart. The company, Pond Pharmaceuticals, had come to Kinnetik in search of an ad campaign that would put their birth control pill, Secure, on the map. They had called in the previous week and Cynthia had set the meeting, the owner had yet to meet Brian. Hopefully she would be okay with dealing with the lackey and not the master. The art department had set to work immediately after the call and had come up with a nice mock-up. They had taken a picture of a young, sexy woman in scant clothing and added the caption: Don't worry, we've got you covered. Be Secure." If Ted were a woman––straight, of course––he imagined that he would be drawn in by the ad. If he landed this account on his own not only would he feel better about himself, but Brian might even have more respect for him.

About ten minutes later, Ted heard a light tapping at the door. "Come in," he called, straightening his tie fastidiously.

"Ted, they're here," Cynthia said.

"Okay. I'll be right there." Ted grabbed the file and ran into the bathroom to check himself out. He didn't want to go into a meeting with an important client with his hair standing on end or some broccoli in his teeth. Looking in the mirror again, he saw that everything was fine. Taking another breath, he started the death march into the boardroom. _You'll be fine,_ he repeated over and over. _Just think like Brian. Be calm, cool, and collected. You can a fuck less what people think about you. You're the hottest fag in Pittsburgh._

He stepped into the boardroom and felt his stomach cramp up. The co-founders of Pond Pharmaceuticals, Matt and Karen Pond were watching him with scrutinizing eyes. Swallowing past the dryness in his throat, Ted approached the table, his palms sweaty. "Good afternoon," he said, somehow keeping his voice from quavering.

"Brian?" Matt asked, slowly extending his hand.

"No. I'm Ted. Ted Schmidt."

"Who?" Matt asked, starting to pull his hand back.

"Ted Schmidt. I'm Brian's uh..." Ted froze for a second. What exactly was he? He had started out as Kinnetik's accountant, but over the course of his tenure there, he had taken on many other responsibilities. "Business Partner," Ted lied, smiling.

"Oh." Matt shook his hand and then Karen did the same. "Where is Brian? I thought we were going to meet with him?"

Ted sat down. "We're very sorry for the confusion. Brian's not in today." Ted stopped again. Would Brian want him telling clients that he and his husband had asked a friend to carry their child and that the child had been born earlier that morning?"

"He and his husband just had a baby," Cynthia explained for him. Ted looked over at her and mouthed "Thank you." She smiled in return.

"Anyway, I've gone over your file and I think I have your new ad campaign."

"Lead us through it," Karen said, slipping on her glasses.

"With pleasure."

Ted took the mock-up out of the folder and held it up for the Ponds to see. "As you can see, the woman in the ad is young, nubile, the kind that you imagine would have men flocking after her." Matt nodded, intrigued. "Our ad says: 'Don't worry, we've got you covered. Be Secure.' If you want to have sex and not have to worry about the condom breaking and want to be feel protected, use Secure. You'll be...Secure." _God, I sound like an idiot!_

"Is that all?" Karen asked, peering at Ted over the top of her glasses, twirling a strand of her ginger hair around her index finger.

"Yeah," Ted replied, smoothing his suit jacket nervously.

"We don't need to see any more," Matt said, clearing his throat.

"You don't?"

"No." Matt leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap. Ted prepared himself for the bomb to drop: we're not interested. Bile rose from his stomach. "We'll take it."

"What?" Ted shot a shocked looked at Cynthia. She nodded.

"I said we'll take it," Matt repeated.

"We love it," Karen added.

"You do?"

"It's everything we were looking for."

"It's perfect."

Ted hid a smile behind his hands. He had finally done something right. He had landed an expensive account for Kinnetik and increased his self-esteem all in the matter of fifteen minutes. What could be better than that? "Well, that's good news. We're glad that you liked it." Ted got up and shook both Matt and Karen's hands. "It was a pleasure doing business with you."

"You, too, Mr..." Matt scrambled to recall Ted's last name.

"Schmidt. Ted Schmidt.

"Mr. Schmidt."

"Thank you for coming," Ted continued as Matt and Karen exited the boardroom.

When the Ponds were gone, Cynthia turned to Ted, a huge grin on her face. "You were amazing!" she exclaimed.

"I was?" Ted asked humbly.

"Yes, you were. You completely won them over, and trust me, that's hard to do."

"How could you tell?"

"I've been in this business for a while now," Cynthia explained. "I know."

"Oh."

"You've come a really long way, Ted."

"Yeah, I guess I have." Ted felt his heart swell with pride.

"Brian better watch his back."

"Why?"

"Because if he's not careful, you're going to be the new owner of Kinnetik." Cynthia winked at him.

"I highly doubt that," Ted replied, laughing in disbelief. "I'm an accountant, remember?"

"Not anymore. Now you're an accountant and an advertising executive. And it would help him cut down on his workload. Now that the baby's here, he isn't going to want to be here all the time."

"Brian would never let me..." The idea of Brian letting Ted take over some of meetings was almost laughable.

"Let me talk to him about it."

"I don't know..." Ted shifted his feet uncomfortably.

Cynthia put a soothing hand on his shoulder. "Have a little confidence, Ted." She smiled and grabbed the folder from the tabletop. "I'm going to go make sure everything's in order with the Ponds before they leave."

"Okay." Ted watched Cynthia walk out of the boardroom and went to sit back down at the table. He grabbed the pitcher of water on the tabletop and poured himself a glass, gulping it down. Never in a million years would Brian listen to Cynthia's recommendation, so he had absolutely nothing to worry about. He glanced down at his watch and sighed. There were still two more hours before he could go home to Blake. He wanted to share his triumph with the person he loved most in world.

When Ted felt comfortable enough to walk again, he got to his feet and headed toward the door. He could see Cynthia talking to Matt and Karen and gestured toward Brian's office. Cynthia nodded her head and turned her attention back to the clients. Ted went into Brian's office and dropped into the chair, rubbing his temples. He was getting a stress headache. Just what he needed. The sound of the door opening made him grimace. "Can we talk later, Cynthia? I'm getting a headache?"

"Poor Theodore."

Ted's head whipped up. What the hell was Brian doing there? "Bri!"

"The one and only." Brian sat on the edge of the desk and peered at Ted, his eyes searching.

"What are you doing here?" Ted demanded.

"I work here, remember?"

"Of course. I mean..."

"Why aren't I at the hospital with Justin and the baby?" Brian cut in.

"Yeah."

"I went out to get some dinner and I thought I'd stop by here and see how everything was going."

"Everything's great," Ted assured him.

"How did the meeting with Pond Pharmaceuticals go?"

"Great. They liked it."

"Good."

Brian tapped his finger on the desktop. "Cynthia tells me that you did a phenomenal job during the meeting."

"She's over exaggerating," Ted emphasized.

"If it were anybody else, I'd believe you."

"Huh?"

"Cynthia wouldn't lie. Not to me anyway. She says that you reminded her of me in there."

"Well, I did try to think like you," Ted admitted, blushing puce.

"How flattering, Theodore." Brian's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Look, if I stole some of your limelight, I'm sorry. All I did was what you asked me to do."

"Yes, you did," Brian agreed, chewing his lip. "How would you feel about stepping up?"

"Stepping up?" Ted arched an eyebrow. Brian had to be talking about something besides a promotion. He didn't like Ted enough for that.

Brian laughed sardonically. "I'm talking about a promotion, Ted."

"A promotion?" Now Ted knew that he had to be dreaming.

"I want to spend more time at home with Justin and the baby. I can't do that if I'm stuck here with meetings all day."

"Yeah..."

"If you were to, say, take half of my work load, I could spend less time here than I already do."

"But that would increase _my_ workload," Ted pointed out.

"It would be worth your while."

"How?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you, Theodore?"

"Yeah, I guess you do."

"For fuck's sake, a raise."

Ted balked. How much had he had to drink the night before? This all had to be some kind of hallucination or something. There was no way that he was actually experiencing this. "Well?" Brian prompted, leaning forward slightly.

"Why me? I mean, you don't even like me."

"To be honest, Theodore, I don't mind you all that much. Mostly, I just like to take the piss out of you."

"That's good to know. I guess." Ted wasn't sure how to take that.

"And to answer your first question, because I'd rather have someone that I know and trust taking care of everything than somebody I don't know."

"That's nice of you to say."

"Besides, I'd have to pay someone else more money."

"Thanks, Bri."

"Yeah." Brian got up and started toward to door. As he was about to round the corner, he turned back to Ted. "I'll be back tomorrow," he said.

"For a visit?"

"For the day," Brian corrected him. "I'm going to be taking next week off, so I might as well get you acclimated. That way I don't have to keep coming back here to save your ass."

"Of course." Ted smiled despite Brian's teasing. "When do you and Justin get to take the baby home?" he asked.

"Thursday."

Ted nodded. "Congratulations, Bri," he said meaningfully.

"Thanks." Brian's lips tugged into a smile. "Later."

"Bye." Ted watched Brian disappear behind the partition. When he was sure that Brian was gone, he let out a triumphant whoop, punching the air. Ted Schmidt had just scored. And that was worth celebrating.

* * *

Emmett was back at the apartment, flipping through pictures. He had gone back and taken a bunch of pictures of Brian and Justin with the baby. Little Brianna was so adorable that he couldn't stop looking at her. _Who ever thought they'd see the day that I'm head over heels for a girl? _Emmett wondered. _And a baby, no less._ As one of seven children, he was used to babies. But growing up, he had had to help his mother watch his younger brother so that she could work. Owen was the single most annoying person on the face of the earth. Emmett had spent many days fantasizing about shoving his little brother in the closet and turning the volume on the TV up loud enough to drown out his ear splitting shrieks.

The front door opened and Calvin came in, smiling. "Hey, honey," he said, kissing Emmett on the cheek.

"Hey sweetie." Emmett looked up from the pictures long enough to smile at Calvin.

"What are you looking at?" Calvin asked.

"Pictures of the baby."

"She's beautiful." Calvin picked up a picture of Brian, Justin, and the baby and examined it closely.

"Yes, she is," Emmett agreed. "I can't believe it hasn't even been a day yet since she was born."

"Since when are you so enthralled with babies?"

"Since I saw her," Emmett confessed. "She's so cute that I couldn't help myself."

Calvin nodded. "Does this mean that you're going to be wanting a baby sometime soon?"

"What?" Emmett looked up, wide eyed.

"I was kidding."

"Oh. Good!" Emmett laughed.

"Good?"

"Yeah. We already had this discussion, remember? No babies."

"I remember. But if you changed your mind, I wouldn't say no."

"I haven't changed my mind. Have you changed your mind?"

"What is this? Tit-for-tat?" Calvin teased.

"No. I was just asking a question."

"I haven't changed my mind," Calvin assured him. "I like our life the way it is now. If we had a kid, everything would change, and I don't want that."

Emmett nodded. "Me neither. I like being able to do what I want and not have to worry about anyone but you. Plus, I hate kids."

"Then why are you fawning all over Brian and Justin's baby?"

"Because she's not ours. I only have to see her every once in a while. If she was ours, I'd want to throw myself off the roof."

"Charming."

"You know what I mean. Kids are a hassle. They're loud, they're needy. They're a lot of work. Work that I'm not willing to do."

"I couldn't agree more." Calvin sat down next to Emmett and looked down at the pictures spread across the cushions.

"Although..." Emmett added, looking over at Calvin innocently.

"Although what?"

"Maybe we could babysit sometime?"

Calvin smiled. "We'll see. I'm sure if they need a babysitter, they'd leave her with her mother."

"Daphne's going to have to get a job eventually," Emmett pointed out. "She won't always be there."

"If they ever need a babysitter and Daphne's not available, we can offer," Calvin relented.

"Thanks!" Emmett kissed him excitedly on the cheek.

"You're welcome." He stood up. "I'm going to go take a nap."

"You couldn't get back to sleep this morning?"

"No."

"I could've sworn you were asleep when I got home."

"I was trying, but once I'm up, I'm up."

"So I remember," Emmett said mischievously.

Calvin chuckled. "Where did you learn to talk like that?" he asked jokingly.

"All on my own," Emmett replied. "Now, come on, let's go get you tucked into bed."

"Why don't you get tucked in with me?"

"You're not going to get much sleep with me in the bed," Emmett cautioned.

"That's okay, we can sleep after."

"Well...if you're sure."

"I'm sure."

Emmett shot to his feet and jumped onto Calvin's back excitedly, hanging on for dear life. Laughing, they went into the bedroom and jumped onto the bed.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin get to take Brianna home. They have Daphne over for dinner and ask her to sign over her parental rights.


	114. Dichotomy

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Brian and Justin's daughter, Brianna, was born a few weeks early. The hospital kept the baby a few days just to make sure that everything was all right with her.

Daphne agreed to sign over her parental rights to Brianna so that Brian could petition for second parent adoption.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Thirteen

A few days later, Justin rolled over in bed and opened his eyes. He looked at the clock on the bedside stand. 9:45. It was almost time. Next to him, Brian nuzzled the back of his neck with his nose. "Are you up?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm too excited to sleep." It was the day that they finally got to take Brianna home. He'd been up for the past three hours, trying with all his might to refrain from jumping out of the bed and pacing the house. He couldn't wait to bring his baby home. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I've been up for a while."

"You're excited, too, aren't you?" Justin asked, grinning.

"If I tell you yes will you stop teasing me about it?"

"Maybe."

"Then yes."

"I thought so."

Brian sat up and arched his back. Justin could hear the disks cracking. "What time is it?" Brian asked.

"Going on ten," Justin answered. He fluffed his pillow up and leaned back against it.

"Do you want to get going? The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back."

"Do you even have to ask?" Justin shot back.

"No." Brian laughed. "Come on, let's go take a shower."

They took a quick shower, not even stopping to grope or kiss. They had plenty of time for that later when the baby was napping. Drying off, they brushed their teeth and got dressed. "Did you buy some formula yesterday?" Justin asked, rolling his socks on.

"Yeah. I wasn't sure what kind to get, so I bought a couple different ones."

"Better safe than sorry," Justin agreed. "Hopefully we'll be able to wean her off breast milk. I'd hate for Daphne to have to pump for us."

"We'll manage," Brian assured him confidently. "We always do."

"Of course we will." Justin grabbed a bag out of the closet and laid it on the bed. "What do you think of this?" he asked, pulling out a pink winter coat for the baby.

"It's...cute." Brian wasn't quite sure how to respond, he had never been one for babies. This was all pretty new to him.

"I thought so, too. She needed a winter coat."

"And now she's got one."

"Yep." Justin smiled.

They got into the Jeep and started the drive back to Pittsburgh. Brian had the car seat hooked up in the back. He had spent an hour the day before trying to figure out how to install it. _Why do they have to make these things so goddamn complicated? _he had wondered. Luckily, his perseverance had won out and he had finally been able to get it hooked up. Justin had watched on in amusement. "So, let me get this straight," Justin said now, twisting in his seat so that the back of his head was resting against the window. "You gave Ted a promotion?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Kind of. He's the last person I'd expect you to trust with the meetings."

"He's come a long way," Brian explained. "He isn't quite as pathetic as he used to be."

"That's a real compliment," Justin joked.

"You know that I mean. I trust him to do a good job. He managed to land the Pond account."

"That's true. I remember you telling me how difficult they can be."

"And if he can do that, he can handle the others. And I don't know, I guess I was feeling charitable that day."

Justin nodded. "You didn't give up your job though, right?" There was no way that they would be able to make it for long without Brian's income. The money that Justin had made from the art show wouldn't stretch for too long. Not with the cost of their mansion.

"Of course not. I'm still the owner. I just don't have to go in for full days anymore. That way I can spend more time with you and the baby. And Gus when he comes for the summer."

"That's great. Maybe then I'll actually manage to sleep like a normal person.."

"I wouldn't count on that if I were you." Brian grinned devilishly.

"And I'll have more time to paint," Justin continued. "I'll have to fix the family portrait."

"Or you could do another one," Brian suggested. "I have to go get Gus tomorrow night. We can take a picture of the four of us."

"Sounds good to me. I'd love to get back to painting."

"You have to get started on your new pieces so you can add to your collection at the gallery."

"I don't even want to think about that yet." Justin sighed. "I'm still whooped from last time, and I know that the next show is going to be worse now that we have the baby."

Brian reached across the seat and stroked his cheek. "Just think about our vacation," he said, his tone light.

"Mmm. Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney."

"It's the gayest place on earth."

"Except for Disney World," Justin added, laughing. "Three more months. I can't wait."

"We can leave the baby with Daphne for the weekend and spend the trip fucking all day and night."

"It will be nice to spend some time alone together," Justin mused. "That's important for couples once they have kids. I'd hate to end up like Mel and Linz were last year."

"Dykes?"

"No." Justin chuckled. "You know, on the verge of breaking up. I couldn't handle that."

"You won't have to," Brian promised. "Nothing bad is going to happen to us."

"I hope you're right. I love you too much to live without you."

"I'll always be here."

"Me, too."

When they got to the hospital, Brian pulled the car seat from its base. Thankfully it was light. He could only imagine how heavy it would be once the baby was in it. It had been heavy with Gus. After a few days of going to the hospital every day to visit Daphne and Brianna, the staff had come to recognize them. "Hey, guys," Thea, the nurse at the front desk greeted them.

"Hey, Thea," Justin said, pausing.

"Today's the big day, right?"

"We get to take her home," Brian confirmed, shifting the car seat to his other arm.

"Good for you. We're going to miss seeing you guys in here every day."

"Well, we can always come back and visit," Justin joked.

"Congratulations, guys."

"Thanks," Brian and Justin said in unison.

"You are too cute." Thea was grinning broadly. "The perfect couple."

Walking arm-in-arm, Brian and Justin said goodbye to Thea and continued to the elevator. Brian pressed the button for the fourth floor and the door closed. Justin had been impatient their first night there, but now, he was even more impatient. He just wanted to get his daughter home and start his new life. Was that too much to ask? When the elevator door opened, they stepped out and walked down the hall to Daphne's room. "Hey," Daphne said. She was folding her clothes and putting them in her bag.

"Hey, Daph." Justin gave her a quick hug. "You're going home?"

"Finally! I can't wait to sleep in my own bed again. And eat real food."

"I can imagine."

"How about coming over for dinner at our place tonight?" Brian asked out of the blue.

"We'd love to have you," Justin jumped in. He knew exactly why Brian wanted to have Daphne over. Until Daphne signed over her parental rights for Brianna, Brian would not be able to petition for second parent adoption. The longer he waited, the less likely it was that he would be able to do it. Less likely, of course, because Daphne would become attached to the baby, just as Brian had done with Gus.

"Sure. I could go for some of your delicious cooking."

"It's set, then. Come over around seven."

"I'll be there. Do you want me to bring anything?"

"No. You're our guest."

"Okay."

Justin looked around the room. "Where's Brianna?" he asked.

"They're getting her from the nursery right now," Daphne replied. "All of the nurses have fallen in love with her."

"Can you blame them?" Justin laughed. "She is adorable."

"No!" Daphne grinned. "I still can't believe that we made her. The two of us."

"It's pretty incredible," Justin agreed.

"Fantastic," Brian added under his breath.

"What was that?" Justin asked.

"Nothing," Brian lied, smiling. "I was just clearing my throat."

"Oh." Justin turned back to Daphne. "Did your mom ever come by?"

"She did."

"How did that go?"

"She was actually nice."

"Scary."

"I know! Who knew that she had such a soft spot for babies?"

"It takes all kinds."

Brianna was brought in by a nurse. "There's my girl," Justin said, jumping up from the bed. "Hey, honey," he cooed, taking her from the nurse. Brianna peered up at him through her dark eyes and Justin could swear that a glimmer of recognition gleamed within. Of course, he knew that at Brianna's age, babies could only identify their parents through smell. He caressed her hand softly, his heart swelling.

"Hey, there," Brian whispered, kissing her forehead. "Are you ready to come home with your daddies?"

"She's been waiting all day," the nurse assured him. Smiling, she left the room to give them their privacy.

"Say goodbye to mommy." Justin brought Brianna over to Daphne. "Tell her 'I'll see you tonight at dinner.' "

"Bye, baby," Daphne said, her voice even. Inside, she felt like her heart were being torn apart, but she couldn't let Brian and Justin see. It would devastate them. She had agreed to carry the baby and then give her over to them and that's what she would do, no matter how much it hurt her. "I'll see you later."

"Here." Brian pulled the winter coat out of the bag and helped Justin put it on her. "That'll keep you nice and warm on the way to the car."

"Ready for your first car ride, Bri?" Justin gently set the baby in the car seat. "Let's go." He turned to Daphne. "See you later, Daph."

"Bye, guys." Brian smiled at her as he took the car seat from Justin and they left. Daphne watched them go, waiting until they were out of sight before the tears fell.

* * *

A few hours later, Justin was in the kitchen, cooking. Brianna was down for a nap, and he had a baby monitor on the counter next to him so that he could hear her if she happened to wake up. Brian was helping make a salad. "So far, so good," he noted, tossing the lettuce into a big bowl.

"Don't jinx us," Justin warned. "Wait until tonight and see how good things are going."

"I'll get up with her," Brian offered.

"That's okay. You're going to work tomorrow. You need your sleep more than I do."

"What about you?"

"I'll sleep when she sleeps. That's what mothers do."

"No, I mean what about work? When are you going to come back?"

"In a couple of weeks. I just want to get her accustomed to being with us first."

Brian chewed his lip. "We're going to have to hire a nanny," he stated simply.

"Unfortunately. I'd love to stay home and take care of her but I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Remember? Lindsay stayed home with Gus and look at how that affected her relationship with Mel .l. I don't want that to happen to us."

"I wish you'd stop comparing us to them," Brian said softly. "We're not them. We're us."

"I know that. But like I said earlier, I don't want anything bad to happen. We made a commitment and I plan to stand by it."

"So do I."

"Then let's wait a few weeks and then we'll start interviewing nannies. It's too bad that Daphne has a job waiting for her, she could do it. I'm sure she'd like that."

"She has a job waiting for her?"

"Yeah, as a science teacher," Justin told him. "She just got the news."

"That's good."

Justin put the lid back on the pan and turned around. "Did you get the papers from Melanie?" he asked.

"She sent them out the other day." Brian didn't need to ask what papers Justin was referring to. "They came in the mail yesterday."

"Good." He stared at the floor for a second.

"What?" Brian inquired, sensing his unease. He had gotten good at reading Justin's body language over the years. Even when he was hiding something perfectly well, Brian could always tell that something was up.

"Do you think we should wait a few days before we show her the papers?"

"I don't know." Brian shrugged. "She knows that it's coming. We agreed to it months ago."

"I know, I just feel kind of bad. Like maybe we should give her awhile to get used to everything before she has to sign over her rights to you."

Brian sighed. "You don't think she's getting cold feet, do you?" He knew better than anyone what it was like. Before Gus was born, he had agreed to sign his parental rights over to Melanie. But as time went on and he had spent time with his son, he had grown attached to him and been unable to go through with it, until Melanie and Lindsay had split up and he had realized that it was the only way that they would get back together.

"I hope not. I know how upset you would be."

"I couldn't really blame her. She did carry the baby for almost nine months, of course she feels attached to her."

"We'll talk to her about it and see how she feels. If she needs some time, we'll give it to her. It's the least we can do."

"Good idea."

By the time Justin finished making the lasagna, he could hear Brianna crying through the baby monitor. "Brian, can you get her?" he asked, bent over to grab the food from the oven.

"Sure, dear." On his way by, Brian playfully smacked Justin on the ass. Justin laughed. Brian went up the stairs and into the nursery. Brianna was in her basinet, wailing. "Shhh, it's okay," Brian soothed, picking her up. He gently rubbed her back, rocking her back and forth slowly. She settled down a little bit. "Smells like someone needs a diaper change," he noted. "Come on." He quickly changed her diaper and brought her down stairs.

Daphne had arrived while he was upstairs. "Hey," he said, waving Brianna's little hand.

"Hey." Daphne burst out into a wide grin. "How's my baby?"

"She's fine. Just got up from a nap."

"Good, I was hoping that I'd get to see her while I was here."

"Do you want to hold her?"

"Sure." Brian passed the baby to Daphne.

"Where's Justin?" he asked.

"He went to check on the food."

"It's done," Justin called, coming out of the kitchen.

"Let's eat," Brian said with a tight smile.

They sat down and ate in silence for a few minutes. Justin kept shooting Brian nervous looks. Brian met his gaze and smiled reassuringly. Whatever happened, they'd work through it. Unable to take the uncomfortable silence anymore, Brian spoke up. "Daphne, I have to confess, there's a reason we invited you here tonight." Justin immediately lowered his gaze, blushing.

"There is?" Daphne asked, knitting her brows confusedly.

"Yeah." Brian nodded. "Before Brianna was born, we agreed that you would carry her for us and then you would sign over your parental rights to me so that I could petition for second parent adoption."

"I remember." Daphne took another bite of her lasagna. Brian could detect the hurt in her voice.

"We'd like to get that out of the way as quickly as possible," he continued, undeterred.

"Do you have the papers?" Daphne hoped they didn't.

"Yeah. In my office."

"Let's go sign them." Daphne wished that she had never made that promise. It would kill her inside.

Brian led the way into this office. "Melanie marked the place where you have to sign."

"Okay." Daphne accepted the proffered pen and sat down in Brian's chair, quickly perusing the document. As she got to the place to sign, her hand quivered over the paper.

"Daph?" Justin asked, concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she lied, trying to force her hand to grow steady. With a sigh, she gave up. "It's harder than I thought it would be. I want to be part of her life." Tears prickled at the corner of her eyes.

"You will," Justin promised, kneeling down next to Daphne and rubbing her shoulder. "You'll still see her all the time. Every other weekend."

"And whenever Justin and I go away for a weekend," Brian added. He smiled encouragingly.

Daphne laughed despite her tears. "Do you promise?" she asked.

"We promise." Justin squeezed her free hand. "Please, Daph," he begged.

"I'll do it." Sniffling, Daphne picked the pen back up and before her mind could register what was going on, she signed her name. "There."

"Thank you!" Justin kissed Daphne's forehead. "It means the world to us."

"I know you guys will take good care of her."

"We will," Brian reiterated. "But don't forget that we wouldn't have her without you."

"We owe it all to you, Daphne. We'll make sure that she knows that."

"Thanks." Looking at the baby, Daphne realized that she had done the right thing. Even if it hurt now.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk:** In order to spend more time with Michael, Brian takes him along to Canada to pick up Gus. Gus meets his new sister.


	115. Picture Perfect Family

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Daphne signed over her parental righs to Brianna so that Brian could adopt her.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Fourteen

"And she signed it, just like that?" Michael asked the next day. He and Brian were on a plane to Toronto to pick up Gus.

"Uh huh," Brian replied. Michael had called him earlier that day and begged to come along. He had promised to pay for his own ticket and not to hold Brian up. Brian had never been able to refuse Michael anything, so he agreed. He was grateful for the company. Usually, Justin would accompany him, but he was busy at home with the baby.

"It must have been hard for her," Michael mused.

"It was. But after we reminded her that she was getting equal custody and that we couldn't have done it without her, she came around."

"Good. I'd hate to see you burned by the situation."

"I would have managed," Brian assured him. "If she wouldn't have been willing to sign over custody, I just would have had to do what Melanie did before she adopted Gus."

"I guess."

Brian sniffed. "So, Mikey, how are things with you and the professor?" he asked, changing the subject. He felt like he hadn't seen Michael in months even though it had only been a few short days. But a lot had happened in those few short days. A lifetimes' worth.

"We're good. Ben's working a lot of late hours right now with the new semester and all. We're really looking forward to the summer. We've been talking about going and staying with Mel and Linz for a few weeks."

"That would be nice," Brian said obligatorily. "I'm sure the munchers would just love that."

"Yeah." Michael laughed. "But I want to be more involved in JR's life, you know? I don't just want to be the strange man she sees whenever they come to town. Since we can't move to Toronto and they're not moving back here, I'll just have to make the trip as often as possible."

"It'll pay for itself in no time," Brian assured him. "Frequent flier miles."

"Then we can all take a vacation to Rio!" Michael exclaimed with mock excitement.

"My point exactly." He smiled at Michael. "How's your book coming along?"

Michael frowned. "It's uh, coming along good," he answered, avoiding Brian's gaze.

"What Mikey?" Brian asked, furrowing his brows. "Why are you acting so weird?"

"It makes me uncomfortable," Michael confessed.

"What does?"

"What I'm writing about."

"My patience is running thin," Brian warned. "Tell me, what are you writing about?"

"Your cancer," Michael muttered under his breath. He didn't want the other passengers on the plane to hear him.

"Oh." Brian smacked his lips together loudly. "Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it? How can I not? I feel like I'm going through it all over again! I remember how afraid I was when Justin told me. I thought I was going to lose you forever!" He felt the hot sting of tears and willed them not to fall. Brian saw crying as a weakness.

Brian looked over at Michael. "Hey," he said softly." Michael didn't look up. Brian grabbed Michael's chin and delicately lifted his head so that they were looking at each other. "I didn't die," he continued. "I've been cancer-free for a whole year now. It'll be two in a few weeks."

"I know." Michael sniffed. "It still bothers me what happened."

"The past is the past."

"Maybe, but I'm reliving it every day. It's like it's happening all over again."

"It isn't," Brian insisted. "And if it bothers you that much, why are you writing about it?"

"I don't know," Michael admitted. "I thought it would help keep the readers' attention. One of the main characters, the one who's perfect, suddenly gets sick and realizes that he isn't perfect after all."

"Oh, Mikey," Brian muttered.

"And besides, if I cut that out, then I can't write about what happened during the Liberty Ride. Remember, you fell and broke your collarbone?"

"How could I forget? It hurt like a motherfucker."

Michael continued. "You were so brave and determined. It's inspirational. That's exactly what my book needs. It can't be all about sex and clubbing. It has to have some real depth to it."

"You're one hell of a writer, I'll give you that," Brian said. "You care a lot about this book."

"It isn't just about me," Michael said hotly. "It's about every gay man and woman in the world. Maybe by reading my book, they can come to terms with their sexuality. And maybe it'll help their friends and family see that we're not that different from them."

"I've heard the tag line," Brain teased. "I think what you're doing is great. Give them a hero. But if you're going to get so upset, maybe you should tone it down a bit. You're trying to make them feel good, not make them slit their fucking wrists."

"Can we talk about something else please?" Michael begged.

"Sure." Brian stared out the window of the plane, looking at the puffy clouds. Twenty minutes...

"Well...?" Michael prompted.

"I'm thinking." Brian chewed his lip.

Michael sighed. "Fine, I'll go. How are things with you and Boy Wonder?"

"You haven't called him that in years," Brian pointed out, a grin on his face.

"Another pleasant side effect of writing, I'm remembering things I didn't before."

"We're good. Justin and I, we couldn't be happier."

"Really?"

"I kid you not."

"I never thought I'd see the day that Brian Kinney would be a happily married man living in a mansion with two kids and a dog."

"Don't forget the horses."

"I heard what you did for Ted the other day," Michael continued.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Brian feigned ignorance.

"Giving him that promotion."

"Oh, that." Brian shrugged it off. "That was nothing."

"It was very nice of you."

Brian scoffed. "Well I'm a nice guy." He was grinning facetiously.

"You can be when you want to be," Michael agreed. "But you have changed so much in the last year. I hardly recognize you. Whatever happened to the Brian Kinney who refused to become a defector? Who could give a fuck less about anyone but himself?"

"He grew up. He realized that you need more than just yourself."

"And now he's a completely different person. And you know what? I think this new Brian is a whole lot happier. He's kind, caring, loving..."

"Don't worry, I've still got my biting wit and razor tongue."

"Thank God!" Michael laughed. "I'm happy for you, Brian."

"Thanks, Mikey." Brian leaned over and pressed his lips against Michael's.

"I guess we've both changed a lot since we met all those years ago."

"Yeah," Brian agreed. "Now if only we could get you to stop worrying so much all the time."

Michael laughed. "I wouldn't count on that if I were you. I was so nervous about flying that I had to take a Valium before I left the house."

"Some things aren't meant to change," Brian reminded him. "I guess that's one of them."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Just like I'll never stop having sex as many times as possible." Brian grinned wryly.

"That is definitely something that is never meant to change." Michael laughed. "You know, I'm glad I came with you."

"Me. too."

"I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

"No way."

"What?"

"I feel the same way." Brian rolled his eyes.

"I guess it's because we haven't really spent all that much time alone lately. Whenever we meet up, you're with Justin or we're with Ted and Emmett."

Brian considered that. "Maybe we should make more of an effort to spend time together. Just the two of us."

"I'd like that," Michael confessed.

"From now on, you can come with me whenever I go to get Gus."

"Really!" Michael laughed sarcastically.

"Yes, really. I need someone to keep me from going out of my fucking mind for forty-five minutes."

"Now that Justin's out of the picture."

"It's only temporary. Once we're adjusted to all the new stuff in our live, he and I will be back to normal."

"And until then?"

"We'll find time for each other. Things haven't changed that much. Yet."

"I know you and Justin will be fine. You've survived worse."

"You make it sound like we're having problems."

"Sorry. I just meant that I remember what happened with Mel and Linz and I know that that won't happen to you guys."

"Thanks for the assurance, Mikey." Brian clenched his jaw.

"What's up your ass?"

"I'm sick of every one comparing Justin and I to fucking Lindsay and Melanie. We're not fucking Lindsay and Melanie. We will never be fucking Lindsay and Melanie." Brian's cheeks flushed.

Michael licked his dry lips. "I-I'm sorry," he apologized, unsure of what he had done to upset Brian. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"Forget it." Michael could see the red patches in Brian's cheek. He always got those when he was angry.

"Do you want to...?"

"No."

"Okay." Michael took a deep breath.

After a few minutes of silence, Brian sighed. "I can't lose him," he said.

"You won't," Michael assured him, putting a reassuring hand on Brian's shoulder.

"I can't even think about it. He means too much to me."

"I'm sorry," Michael repeated softly. "I won't bring it up again."

"Thanks." Brian leaned over and rested his head on Michael's shoulder.

"You don't have to thank me, Brian. What are best friends for?" That got a chuckle out of him.

When their plane landed, they got a cab. Not long after, they were at Melanie and Lindsay's house. "Lindsay said she was going to pull Gus out of school early," Brian said, looking out the window.

"I was wondering why we had such an early flight," Michael confessed. Scoffing, Brian put an arm around Michael's neck. As they stepped up onto the front porch, the door opened.

"Hey, guys," Lindsay said, grinning.

"Hey, Linds!" Michael hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Is JR around?"

"She's in the living room with Gus. Go on inside and see her."

"Thanks." Michael disappeared into the house.

Lindsay turned to Brian. "Well, here he is, the doting dad." She smiled warmly.

"Yep." Brian smiled. "Here I am."

"Did you bring pictures?" Lindsay asked, eyes alight with excitement.

"What do you think?" Brian arched an eyebrow, a cocky smile tugging at his lips.

"Can I see them?"

"Come here." Brian reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out the photographs that Emmett had given to him the day before when they had met for lunch at the diner.

"Oh, she's precious!" Lindsay cooed. "She looks just like her mommy."

"Yeah, she does." Brian looked at the pictures for the millionth time. It still blew his mind that he and Justin had a baby together. He had never thought in a million years that he would ever have one child, let alone two.

"Mel's going to be upset that she didn't get to see these."

"Keep 'em," Brian said.

"What?"

"I have another set at home. Emmett went a little crazy with his camera."

"Emmett? Since when...?"

"Who knows? He's practically drooling over her."

"Wow." Lindsay was shocked silent for a minute. When she regained her composure, she said, "Well I can't wait to come and see you guys. Justin must be so happy."

"He is. We both are."

"Good for you." Lindsay kissed his cheek. "Now, I promised to pick Gus up early so you guys could have more time together, you'd better get going."

Smiling, Brian stepped into the house and peered into the living room. Gus was putting a puzzle together on the coffee table while Michael was sitting on the couch, tickling JR. "Daddy!" Gus cried, running into Brian's waiting arm.

"Hey, Sonny Boy!" Brian kissed the top of Gus's head. "Are you ready to come and stay with Daddy and Justin?"

"Yeah!"

"Good. We have a surprise for you back at the house."

"You do?"

"Yeah. So if you want to see it, we'd better get going."

"Okay." Gus put his coat and gloves on and sat down to lace up his shoes.

"He can tie his own shoes?" Brian asked Lindsay.

"Yeah. Melanie taught him the other week."

"Mmmm." Brian sighed inaudibly. He may have two children, but one of them was not in his life full-time and try as he might, he would never stop feeling guilty about that.

As Brian put the car in park, he looked back at Gus through the rearview mirror. "We're home," he announced, opening his car door. He went around to the back and opened Gus's door. "Are you glad to be back, Gus?" Brian asked.

"Yes." Gus got out of the car and ran up to the door.

"Hold on," Brian called after him. "Wait for me." He got Gus's bag out of the trunk and led the way into the house. "We have to be quiet," he whispered. The baby was probably asleep.

"Brian?" Justin's voice came from upstairs. _Guess not._

"We're here," Brian replied. "Go on upstairs, Gus." Gus ran up the stairs and paused. Brian followed him. "Go in the nursery."

Gus stopped at the door to the nursery. He saw Justin bent over the basinet, murmuring. At the sound of Gus's footsteps, Justin turned around. "Hey, Gus," he said cheerily.

"Hi." Gus looked at the basinet.

"Did your Dad tell you yet?"

"He said there was a surprise for me."

"Oh, there's a surprise all right." Justin laughed. "Where's your Daddy?"

"I'm right here." Brian came into the room. "I was just putting his bag in his room." He went over to Justin and kissed him. "Did you miss me?" he asked so that only Justin could hear him.

"Tremendously." Justin kissed him back. "I wish I could've gone with you."

"It's okay, I understand." Brian smiled warmly. "Besides, I wasn't too bored."

"What did you do?"

"Michael came with me."

"That's good."

"Yeah. Oh, Lindsay and Melanie wanted me to give you their love."

"I'll give them a call later. Did you show them the pictures?"

"Yeah. Well, Lindsay. Melanie was at work."

"Oh." Justin looked over at Gus. "Does he know yet?"

"No." Brian followed Justin's gaze. "But that's about to change. Come here, Gus."

Gingerly, Gus crossed the room, keeping a wary eye on the basinet. He had seen it plenty of times since it had been assembled, but his dads had never stood around it like they were now. What was going on? He reached Brian. "Gus, do you remember when Justin and I told you that you were getting a new baby sister?" Brian asked. Gus nodded. "Well, the other day..." He paused. What to tell Gus? How did Lindsay and Melanie explain how Jenny Rebecca had come into existence? Surely not that stork shit? "The other day," he started again.

"She arrived," Justin finished for him. Brian shot him a grateful smile.

"She did?"

"Do you want to see her?" Justin asked.

"Yes."

"Okay." Brian lifted Gus up so that he could see into the basinet. "There she is," he said.

"Gus, this is your little sister Brianna," Justin continued, watching Gus's face for a reaction.

"She doesn't look like me," Gus noted. "She looks like Daphne."

"Daphne's her mommy," Brian explained, hoping that Gus would understand what he was saying.

"Oh."

Gus looked down at his new little sister and smiled. Justin took that as a good sign. If there was going to be any sibling rivalry, at least on Gus's part, he wouldn't be smiling. "Are you guys hungry?" Justin asked.

"Starving." Brian's stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly.

"I guess so." Justin laughed. "What about you, Gus, are you hungry?"

"A little." Gus couldn't stop smiling at Brianna.

"How about we order a pizza and rent a couple of movies?"

"Sounds good to me." Brian ruffled Gus's hair. "What do you say, Sonny Boy?"

"Yeah!"

"Good boy." Brian set Gus back down on the ground and caught Justin's eye. He could see the relief within. "Gus, why don't you give Justin and I minute alone?"

"Okay." Gus peeled his eyes off of the basinet and padded out of the room.

Brian stepped closer to Justin and embraced him. "You're as relieved as I am, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Justin admitted, resting his cheek on Brian's chest.

"Now we can be one big, happy family."

"That's all I want." Laughing, they kissed again and went to find Gus.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Lance breaks some unpleasant news to Debbie.


	116. Debbie's Purpose

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Lance met a guy and started dating him, getting over his crush on Michael.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Fifteen

Debbie was sitting on the couch, eyes glued to the TV. There was an _Absolutely Fabulous_ marathon on BBC America. Even though she had seen the whole series countless times, she never got bored. But that wasn't the only reason that she was still up at midnight. Lance had gone out with his boyfriend Jeremy a few hours earlier and still hadn't come home. Usually when Lance spent the night at Jeremy's place, he told her beforehand or at least called her. She hadn't heard a peep from him and was determined to stay up until she did. Carl had gone up to bed about an hour earlier, insisting that Lance would come home when he was ready.

Since coming home from New York, Lance had been distant. He'd been going out with Jeremy more often than usual and was hardly ever home. Whenever Deb tried to talk to him, he avoided answering her questions directly. She was starting to get worried. Could Jeremy have introduced him to drugs? Deb didn't have much experience with drug addicts and didn't know the telltale signs. She had talked to Carl about it, but he had shrugged it off. "He's a teenager," he had said. "That's what teenagers are like."

"I guess." Still, Debbie couldn't stop worrying. She was so worried in fact, that she couldn't even concentrate on _Ab Fab_, and that was saying something. She could always concentrate on it; it was her favorite TV show_._ The world could be falling apart at the seams and if it was on, she'd still be transfixed.

Just when she was about to admit defeat and give Lance a call, Deb saw headlights shining in through the window. _Finally,_ she thought, pulling the lid off of the carton of ice cream. She had to look natural. There was no point letting Lance know that she staying up to make sure that he came home. He would just push her further away, and at that point she couldn't be pushed much further. Debbie could hear Lance and Jeremy murmuring on the porch. Quietly, Deb got off of the couch and went over to the door, peering out of the window at the side. She could see Lance and the man that she assumed was Jeremy, kissing. _Damn, he's goddamn gorgeous!_ she thought with a wry smile. When Lance turned back toward the house, Debbie ducked down and scampered back to the couch.

A few minutes later, the front door opened and Lance walked in, immediately spotting Debbie on the couch. "Hey, honey," she said, pasting a smile on her face. He couldn't have seen her spying on him, could he?

"Hey, Deb." Lance shut the door. "What are you doing up at this hour? Don't you have to work in the morning?"

"Yeah, but there's an _Ab Fab _marathon on. I never miss it."

"I see." Lance stopped at the bottom of the stairs. He rubbed his forehead,

"Do you want to sit down and watch it with me? You'd love it."

"No thanks. I'm going to go read for a while."

"I'll bring you up some milk and cookies," Debbie offered. "It used to be Michael's favorite midnight snack when he was your age."

"That's okay, you don't have to."

"I am bringing you milk and cookies!" Deb crossed her arms over her chest and gave Lance a pointed look. There was no way that she was going to be deterred.

Lance didn't argue with that. If Deb wanted to bring him milk, she would. It didn't matter whether he wanted it or not. "Thanks, Deb."

"You're welcome, honey." She could hear Lance's footsteps on the stairs and waited until they stopped before switching the TV off. She was exhausted after a long day at the diner and didn't have time to waste. Her shift started at seven and it was another double shift. If she wanted to survive the next day without fainting from exhaustion again, she was going to have to get to bed. Going into the kitchen, she grabbed a plate, a box of cookies, and a glass. She reached into the fridge and grabbed the carton of milk, filling the cup up. Expertly balancing the glass of milk and the plate of cookies, Debbie went upstairs.

Lance had left his door open a crack for her. She could see the light from his lamp streaming out into the hall. "Lance," she said softly, nudging the door open with her toe.

"Come in." Lance looked over toward the door. "Do you need any help?" He stood up to assist her.

"No, I got it." Debbie set the plate down on the bed and handed the glass of milk to Lance. "What are you reading?" she asked.

"_Julius Caesar_," Lance answered disdainfully. "It's a requirement for my English class."

"I fucking love Shakespeare!"

"You would." Lance took one of the cookies off of the plate and dipped it in the milk. "I wouldn't mind it so much if I could actually understand what they're saying. Why do they make us read Shakespeare anyway? It isn't exactly relevant to today's society."

Debbie waited for him to finish before she said, "You know, when I was your age, I was in the school production of _Julius Caesar_."

"You were?" Lance could not picture Debbie on the stage. He felt bad for her poor co-star.

"Yeah, I was...oh, what's her name? The crazy one? She kills herself by swallowing hot coals."

"Portia?"

"That's it! Portia. Oh, I had such a crush on Peter Gillan. He played Brutus. The only reason I even auditioned for the play was so that I could be his wife."

"Was the feeling mutual?"

"Unfortunately not. He turned out to be gay."

"Oh." Lance knew all about unrequited love. Luckily, that was a distant memory for him now that he had Jeremy.

"It was for the best. He ended up overdosing on heroin a few years later."

"Wow."

"I was so upset that he didn't like me, but then I met Danny and I forgot all about Peter."

"Who is Danny?"

"Nobody," Debbie said quickly. "Old boyfriend."

In truth, Danny Devore, now known as Divina Devore the notorious drag queen, was Michael's biological father. Debbie had met him in high school, before he'd come out. She hadn't seen him in about four years, but her heart still raced at the thought of him. _How silly,_ she thought, shaking her head. "How are things with you and Jeremy?" she asked.

"Great. I've never been happier in a relationship."

"That's good."

"It's not just about sex with Jeremy, you know? He actually loves me as a person. He takes me out, something my last boyfriend never did, and he isn't afraid to tell me how he feels about me."

"I'm happy for you, baby."

"Thanks." Lance smiled tightly.

Debbie looked around the room for the first time, noticing that Lance had some of his things sitting out. It wasn't like him to leave his clothes out. "Are you going somewhere?" she asked.

"Kind of," Lance answered, avoiding Deb's gaze. He started to wring his hands, wishing that Deb would change the subject.

"Is Jeremy taking you somewhere for the weekend?" Debbie knew that the chances of that were slim to none, but she refused to think about the real reason. The one she knew deep down in her heart.

"Not quite."

"Then what?"

"I'm leaving." Lance finally looked up into Debbie's eyes.

"Leaving?" she gasped. "Where are you going?" Deb's mind started to race. What the hell was going on? Lance had been perfectly happy the week before, so why would he all of a sudden decide that he wanted to leave?

Lance chewed his lip. "I'm going to move in with Jeremy. There's enough room for me there and it'll get me out of your hair."

"Out my hair! I don't want you out of my hair!" Debbie exclaimed, slamming her foot down. "You're a part of this family, damn it!"

"Deb, I really appreciate everything you've done for me, but I have to get out on my own, all I am is a burden to you."

"No, you're not! Why the hell are you thinking like that! Is this about what Michael said to you before Christmas? I thought you two worked that out?"

"No, it doesn't have anything to do with that. I'm leaving because it isn't fair for me to take advantage of you."

"You aren't," Debbie insisted, her eyes stinging with tears. How could she be hearing this?

"At least if I move in with Jeremy, I won't feel bad about him taking care of me. He's my boyfriend, it's his job."

Debbie shook her head emphatically. "It's _my_ job!" she corrected him. "I'm your legal guardian until you turn eighteen. That's not for another year."

"I turn seventeen in a few weeks."

"So?"

"I can leave."

"Don't get smart with me!" Debbie instinctively raised her hand to smack him, like she did to Michael, but when Lance shrunk back like a scared child, she lowered it. "I need you here," she said, quieter.

"What for? All I do is run up your bills and make you have to work extra hours at the diner."

"You have a job," Deb reminded him. "You make your own money."

"Yeah, so I buy my own lunches at school and pay for my own clothes." He scoffed. "It's not fair what I'm putting you through. It would be better for you and for me if I just left." He sighed. "Look, this isn't me feeling sorry for myself, this is me being a mature, responsible adult."

"Please don't go," Debbie whispered, the tears streaming down her cheek.

"I have to," Lance insisted.

"But what will I do without you?"

"You'll be just fine. Carl will keep you busy."

"No I won't be fine!"

"What do I do that is so important?" Lance demanded, his anger flaring. "Tell me!"

"You give me someone to look after!" Deb blurted, smacking the bed in frustration. "I need someone to take care of! It gives me a sense of purpose."

"Deb..."

"No! First it was just Michael, then Brian came along and I took care of the both of them. I couldn't have been happier. I didn't mind too much when Michael moved out because I still had Vic to look after. When Sunshine moved in and I was in heaven. Two people to look after again." She smiled. "And then when Vic moved out, I had Emmett to fall back on. But when he moved out, I was left feeling...empty."

Lance clicked his tongue. "What about Carl?" he asked. "He's here to keep you company."

"It's more than that," Debbie continued. "I'm a mother, that's who I am. I have to take care of somebody."

"Maybe you should take care of yourself," Lance suggested softly. "You can't always be taking care of other people, Deb."

"I know, honey, but it's my calling. What can I do?"

"I don't know."

"Look, I know that I can't stop you from leaving, it's your decision. But I am going to beg and plead. Stay here, please. At least until you're done with school. Then you can move in with Jeremy. Things aren't that bad here, are they?"

"No," Lance assured her. "It's not that. I just don't want to feel like you're putting yourself out for me."

Debbie clasped his hand in hers. "Lance, this is what I do. I wouldn't have it any other way. I want to take care of you."

"You do?" Lance asked skeptically.

"More than anything." She looked into his eyes. "So, please, honey. Don't leave." Her voice quavered, her emotions winning over. Lance couldn't stand to see her so upset.

"I won't," Lance relented.

"Thank God!" Debbie threw her arms around Lance and squeezed him tight. "I'm so glad."

"I kind of am, too," Lance admitted.

"What?"

"Well, I technically haven't talked to Jeremy about moving in yet..."

"What were you planning on doing, just showing up at his door with all of your shit?"

"Basically."

"Teenagers," Deb mumbled. She would never understand them. "I guess it's a good thing I'm forcing to stay then, huh?"

"Yeah," Lance admitted. "Thanks, Deb."

"Don't mention it, honey."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, eating cookies. Debbie suddenly got an idea. "Why don't you bring Jeremy over for dinner tomorrow night?" she suggested.

"Are you serious?" Lance asked, laughing in disbelief.

"Why not? I want to meet the man who's captured your heart."

"You sound like Shakespeare," Lance joked.

"Thank you." Debbie bowed. "So, you'll invite him over?"

"Sure. If you promise not to embarrass me."

"I'll be on my best behavior."

"Fine."

"Okay then." Debbie got up from the bed and started to move toward the door. "Goodnight, Lance."

"Night, Deb."

Smiling, Deb went down the hall to her bedroom. Carl was lying in bed, watching TV. "Did you talk to him?" Carl asked.

"You didn't hear us? The walls are so goddamn thin in this house," Debbie reminded him.

"I had the TV turned up," Carl explained. "I can't hear anything but the TV."

"Oh." Debbie climbed into the bed and lay back against her pillow. "He was planning on moving in with his boyfriend Jeremy, but I talked him out of it."

"That's good."

"Yeah."

"Anything else?"

"Oh, we're having Jeremy over for dinner tomorrow."

"Great."

"Don't you think it's about time we met him?"

"Sure, I guess." Carl didn't really care. Lance didn't have to include them in that part of his life.

"If Lance is in love with him, he can't be too bad."

"No," Carl agreed.

Debbie looked at the clock. "All right I have to get some sleep. I have an early shift in the morning. Goodnight. sweetie." She kissed Carl on the cheek.

"Goodnight, honey." Carl turned off the TV and put his arm around Debbie.

* * *

The next evening, Debbie was in the kitchen, finishing dinner. "It won't be much longer," she promised.

"That's okay, Jeremy's not here yet," Lance assured her.

"Are you nervous?"

"No. Why would I be nervous?"

"I don't know, bringing the boyfriend home to meet the parents is always a little nerve racking."

"Not for me. I already know that he loves me, and that's what matters."

"Good for you."

There was a knock at the front door. "I'll get it," Lance said, rushing to open the door. "Hey," he said, a smile evident in his voice.

"Hey." Jeremy stepped in and kissed Lance on the cheek. "Wow, this place is nice," he commented politely.

"It's home," Debbie replied, laughing. "Hi, I'm Debbie Novotny." She extended her hand.

"Jeremy Martin." Jeremy shook her hand. "Here, these are for you." He handed her a bouquet of flowers.

"Jeremy, they're beautiful! Thanks."

"My pleasure." Jeremy draped his arm around Lance's shoulder.

"So Jeremy, what do you do for a living?" Debbie asked, putting her flowers in a vase of water.

"I'm actually unemployed at the moment," Jeremy confessed, undeterred. "I used to work at Torso."

"He was the manager," Lance added.

"Oh." Deb had that Torso wasn't doing so well these days.

"But once I'm done with college, I'm going to be a computer analyst."

"That sounds nice."

Carl came in the front door. "Hey," he said, shaking Jeremy's hand. "I'm Carl, Debbie's husband. You must be Jeremy."

"It's a pleasure sir," Jeremy replied.

"Same here." Carl hung his coat up. "Is dinner ready?" he asked Debbie.

"It's ready." Deb pulled the food out of the over. "Let's eat."

They sat down at the small table and ate in silence for a few minutes. "This is really good," Jeremy said finally.

"Thanks, honey. It's an old family recipe."

"I wish you were my mom," Jeremy joked. "My mom burns popcorn."

"You poor dear," Debbie said seriously

"I taught myself to cook."

"Well, you're already an honorary member of the family then." Debbie laughed.

"When do I get to meet everyone else?" Jeremy asked.

"Believe me, honey. I don't think you want to."

"I'll take your word for it."

After dinner, Jeremy helped Debbie with the dishes before he and Lance went out to catch a movie. "I like him," Debbie decided, sitting down next to Carl on the couch.

"He seemed like a nice enough guy."

"He's perfect for Lance. He needs someone who will make him feel good about himself after all the years of abuse he put up with because of his father." She smiled. "Maybe now he can start over and become a happier person." Another new addition to the family...Debbie couldn't be happier.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin continue to adjust to parenthood.


	117. Adjustment

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Daphne gave birth to a baby girl - Brianna - and signed over parental rights so that Brian could petition for second-parent adoption.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Sixteen

As Brian moved his hips faster, Justin clung tightly to his waist, unaware of the fact that he was squeezing a little too tightly. His fingers dug into the tender skin. He gasped as he felt his climax fast approaching. _Don't stop!_ he silently begged, looking up at Brian. Brian had his eyes squeezed shut and his lips were tugged into a half-smile. He was close, too. Brian quickened his pace until they both climaxed, groaning loudly. Panting, he collapsed on top of Justin, who wrapped his arms around him, holding him close. Brain buried his face in Justin's neck.

After a few minutes of blissful silence, Justin kissed Brian and said, "I hope we didn't wake the baby. I just got her down."

"We'd hear her if she was up," Brian replied, his voice muffled.

"Maybe I should go check."

"No. Stay here." Brian refused to let him up.

"I needed that," Justin admitted, referring to the sex. After the stressful day he'd had, the only thing that could get him to relax was sex with Brian.

"I guess so." Brian reached around and felt the spot on his lower back where Justin had kept his death grip. "I think you broke the skin."

"Sorry," Justin laughed. "I guess I got a little carried away."

"Yeah." Brian lifted his head. "Stressful day?"

"You have no idea."

Earlier that day, Justin had gotten a call from PIFA about his steadily increasing absences. Truthfully, he had forgotten all about school between the art show in New York and the baby. He didn't really want to go back, but if he didn't Brian would be disappointed. And Justin didn't want to do that. So, he had agreed to come in and get his work for the week. Brian, home for week, had been able to stay with the baby so that he could go sort out the mess.

Brian moved off of Justin and propped his head up in his hand. "Tell me," he said softly.

"I have so much work to do. Who would have thought that I'd miss so much in just two weeks? I have four papers to write and a presentation to do for my art class. I don't know how I'm going to find time to do it all."

"Single parents find time," Brian reminded him. "You will, too."

"How about you do it for me?" Justin teased.

"I don't think so."

"What if you do it in exchange for a blow job?"

"How about you give me a blow job anyway?" Brian grinned mischievously.

"Maybe later." Justin laughed. "I'm going to go check on the baby."

Justin got out of bed and slipped his bathrobe on. "Hurry back," Brian called after him. "I don't want the bed to get too cold."

"I'll hurry," Justin promised, laughing. He went down the hall and crept into the nursery. By the light of the little lamp beside the basinet, Justin could see Brianna's chest rising and falling evenly. She was still asleep. He resisted the urge to kiss her. In the past week, he had grown more attached to her than he had thought possible. It was going to be hard to leave her so that he could go back to school and work. Thankfully, he had Brian to console him. That helped.

When he got back into the bedroom, Brian was lighting a cigarette. They were trying to quit—for the baby––but it was going to take some work. Even though they weren't chain smokers, they had gotten used to smoking over the years. "Is she still asleep?" Brian asked when he saw Justin.

"Thankfully." He let his bathrobe fall to the floor and slowly, sensually, got back into bed. As he climbed over Brian, he felt his ass get smacked. "I'm surprised we didn't wake her up," he continued.

"We were pretty loud," Brian agreed, grinning.

"She must be a heavy sleeper." Justin took a drag on the cigarette and passed it back.

"That's good. I hate quiet sex."

"Me, too." Justin rested his head on Brian's chest. "I'm so glad that you took the whole week off from work. It's nice to have someone here to help me."

"That's what I'm here for."

Justin sighed. "We're going to have to hire the nanny sooner that I'd hoped. Remind me again why I decided to go back to school?"

"So that you could get a degree." Brian narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"When I went to pick up my work, they told me that if I miss anymore school I'm going to be under credit review."

"What the fuck does that mean?" Brian put his cigarette out in an ash trash.

"They're going to meet and decide whether or not I can continue taking my classes. If they decide I can't, then I'm done. I'll have to wait until the fall and re-enroll."

"Did you tell them about your situation?"

"Yeah. They said that I have to decide what's more important: art shows or school."

Brian took a deep breath. "Well I hate to say this, but we both know what's more important." He reached out and clasped Justin's hand.

"How can I give it up, though? It's what I've always wanted." He stared down at his hands for a second. The reviews from New York weren't out yet, but from what he'd heard, they were going to be good. Before long, his name would be well known in the art world.

"Give it up? I was talking about school," Brian said.

"You were?"

"If that's how they're going to treat you, then I say you should drop out. For the time being anyway. Maybe taking the rest of the year off wouldn't be such a bad idea."

"It would give me more time with the baby," Justin mused.

"And you can work from home," Brian reminded him. "You'll only need to come into work for the meetings."

"That sounds good to me." Justin lay back on his pillow. "Does this mean that I don't have to do all of my homework from the last two weeks?"

"Not a chance. Just because you're going to be taking time off doesn't mean that you can't keep your grade up until then."

Justin nodded. "I guess you're right. I wish would have never dropped out in the first place. I could be done by now."

"And miss your trip to Hollywood?" Brian asked seriously.

"I probably could have transferred out there." He met Brian's gaze. "The best part would be that I never would have gone to New York, and we would have been married a lot sooner."

"As much as I missed you while you were away, I'm glad that you did go. It reaffirmed some things for me. Things that I otherwise might not have realized."

"Like what?" Justin asked even though he knew. Brian had told him many times.

"That I love you and don't want to live without you," Brian replied.

"What else?" Justin asked, moving closer.

"That I really can do this whole monogamy thing." Brian tilted his head down so that his lips were just inches away from Justin's.

"What else?" Justin inquired again, his voice breathy.

"That I want to fuck you every day for the rest of my life."

"I like that one."

Their lips were just about to meet when Brianna cried shrilly from the nursery. Brian laughed dryly. "I guess we'll have to finish this later," he murmured.

"Afraid so." Justin pulled back and started to get up. "I'll got get her."

"No." Brian pushed him back into bed. "_I'll _go get her. You stay here and keep the bed warm."

"Don't mind if I do. My legs are sore."

"I'll be right back." Brian pulled his jeans on and went into the nursery. In her basinet, Brianna was crying, tears pouring down her face. "Shhh, it's okay," Brian soothed, picking her up. "Daddy's here." As Brian put his arms around her, Brianna stopped crying. _She must've gotten scared,_ he thought. He grabbed her blanket out of the basinet. "Do you want to sleep with me and daddy tonight?" he asked her, his voice low. "Huh?"

Since the baby had been born, Brian had gotten used to talking quietly. Not that he was ever one to talk too much, but with Brianna sleeping most of the day, he had to refrain from talking above a murmur. "Let's go see daddy." He carried Brianna back into the bedroom.

"There she is!" Justin exclaimed, a smile breaking out on his face.

"Look Brianna, there's daddy," Brian whispered in her ear.

"Is she okay?" Justin asked, sitting up.

"She's fine. I think she just missed us."

"Aw, poor baby." When Brian set Brianna down on the bed, Justin moved closer and put a comforting arm around her.

"Not even two weeks old and she's already a drama queen," Brian muttered, getting out of his jeans again.

"What else would you expect from the child of two queens?"

"Good point."

"Thank you."

"I think she should sleep with us tonight," Brian suggested, getting back into bed.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? What if one of us rolls over and squishes her?"

"We managed with Gus," Brian reminded him.

"Gus is bigger," Justin challenged.

"If you don't think it's a good idea, I'll put take her back after she's asleep," Brian said evenly.

Justin didn't want it to seem like he was being a dick. "I guess if we're careful, she can stay," he relented.

"No. You're right, it's probably not a good idea," Brian continued. "We don't want her to get hurt."

"Are you mad?" Justin asked, reaching out for Brian's arm.

"Why would I be mad?"

"Because I just second-guessed you."

"It's bound to happen. We have different ideas on parenting. I'm not going to start a fight with you over it."

"You're just going to let me have my way?"

"Sometimes you have to know when to just let it go," Brian said.

"Now you're making me feel bad."

"Don't."

"I feel like I'm being stubborn or something."

"You're not," Brian assured him. "Besides, how many times have you given me my way? Especially when I was being stubborn."

"A few," Justin admitted.

"Exactly."

Brian reached around Brianna and stroked Justin's arm. "The only way this relationship is going to work is if we're both willing to let things like this slide. If we start arguing about stupid stuff, how long before we're fighting about everything?"

"Not long." Justin felt his heart swell. He didn't even want to think about fighting with Brian. They'd been lucky so far and hadn't fought once since Justin had moved back from New York. But even he knew that it couldn't last forever. Unfortunately, every couple fought, no matter how hard they tried to avoid it.

"I couldn't agree more," Justin replied. "And that's why I'm not going to let you put her back in her crib." He smiled. "She's staying with us tonight."

Brian shook his head. "I don't want her to sleep with us now," he said determinedly.

"You don't?" Justin knit his brows. Was Brian joking?

"No." He leaned over and pressed his lips against Justin's. "I can't fuck you if she's in bed with us."

"No," Justin agreed. "No you can't."

"So after she falls back asleep, I am going to fuck your brains out. Again."

"I can't wait."

They lay there for a while, their fingers laced together over Brianna. They stared into each other's eyes, smiling. Other couples had trouble after they started having children, but Brian and Justin would be fine. After about twenty minutes, Brianna was fast asleep. Gently, Brian picked her up and carried her back into the nursery. He set her into her basinet and kissed the top of her head. "Good night," he whispered. When he got back in the bedroom, Justin was smiling expectantly. Brian shut the door behind him and crossed the room to the bed.

* * *

A few days later, Justin came in the front door and heaved a contented sigh. Brian––with Brianna in his arms––came into the foyer. "How did it go?" he asked. Justin noticed that Brian was wearing one of his work suits. _That's weird,_ he thought.

"Good." Justin had gone back to the PIFA campus and officially dropped out for the rest of the semester. He had been reassured that his credits would be saved for him. "I am officially a free man."

"Don't get too excited," Brian chided him. "You'll be back."

"I know." Justin kissed Brian on the lips. "But until then, I can use the time I usually spend doing homework on other things, like my art."

"When do you get your reviews from New York?"

"At the end of the month. I wish they'd just get it over and done with already. The anticipation is driving me crazy!"

Brian laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You did fine," he said. "They loved you. Or have you forgotten how many people came each night?"

"I haven't forgotten," Justin assured him. "I never will."

"Then stop worrying, you sound like Michael."

"On second thought, I don't care about my reviews," Justin teased.

"I thought that might change your mind." Brian ruffled his hair. "What are going to do today?" he asked.

"I was thinking that I'd get started on my new painting," Justin answered. "You know, the family portrait?"

"I can't wait to see it."

"I was also hoping we could spend some time together."

"Oh." Brian's smile disappeared.

"Do you have plans?" Justin asked warily.

"I have to go into work," Brian confessed, sighing. "Ted chose today of all days to get the flu and there's an important client from out of town coming."

"Can't you just reschedule the meeting for a tomorrow?"

"He's only in town for one day."

"I'm sorry."

Brian shrugged. "It's not your fault. I'll only be gone for a couple of hours. Do you want me to bring some Thai home?"

"Sure. I'm starving."

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Brian kissed Justin on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Justin took Brianna from Brian's arms and watched him go. "Say bye to daddy, Bri," he said quietly.

"Bye." Brian gave him one last smile before grabbing his coat and heading out the door.

Justin stayed in the foyer until he heard the sound of Brian's car starting.

Brianna started to cry and Justin rocked her gently. "You miss your daddy, don't you?" he asked. "So do I." He had been hoping that they would be able to spend the day together, just enjoying each other's company. But that was out of the question. For the time being at least. Brianna yawned. "Are you ready for a nap?" Justin felt a little weird talking to an infant, but even though she couldn't respond, he knew that Brianna could hear him. "You look tired.

He took her upstairs and lay in bed with her, holding Brian's pillow against his chest. He inhaled Brian's scent and it soothed him, making him smile. He and Brian had not gotten much sleep the past couple of nights. Not because of the baby, but because they had been up all night having sex. Since the baby had been born, neither of them had wanted sex more. They were making love even more than they did before, and that was a major accomplishment. Yawning, Justin put a protective arm around Brianna. Slowly, his eyelids started to droop and unable to fight it anymore, he gave in.

* * *

A few hours later, Justin woke up. He could feel someone's hot breath on his neck. Opening his eyes, he smiled. Brian was lying next to him, watching him. "Hey," Justin said, stretching. "You're back early."

"The meeting didn't take as long as I thought it would," Brian explained.

"How did it go?"

"I got the account."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks." Brian smiled at him.

"Where's the baby?"

"I put her back in her room. I brought home the food, if you're still hungry."

"I am." He sat up. "I must've fallen asleep when I was putting Brianna down for her nap."

"I can see that. Maybe we should make an early evening tonight and catch up on our sleep."

"I don't think so!" Justin climbed on top of Brian and held his wrists above his head. "We can catch up on our sleep tomorrow."

"Okay." Brian laughed. "If sex is what you want, sex is what you'll get."

"Good."

Justin got off of Brian and kissed his cheek. "I missed you while you were gone," he said. "It's pretty lonely with just me and the baby here."

"I'm sorry," Brian brushed the back of Justin's hand with his. "I promise I'll never do it again."

"That's not a promise you can keep." Justin laughed. "I'm just glad that you're back."

"And I'm not going anywhere for the rest of the week, it's just going to be the three of us."

"Too bad Gus wasn't here with us. Then everything would be perfect.

"We'll have him in a couple of weeks when he goes on break."

"How long will we have him for?"

"A week."

"It's better than nothing."

"I guess." Brian sighed.

Justin could sense that Brian was upset. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do. He couldn't force Melanie and Lindsay to move back to Pittsburgh. The only thing he could do was console Brian any way he could. "Come on," he said, standing up. "Let's go eat before the food gets cold."

"I'll be right there," Brian replied, unmoving. Nodding, Justin left the room. Brian pulled out his cell phone and called Lindsay. He wanted to talk to Gus, just for a minute. The phone kept on ringing.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **The gang celebrates Valentine's Day.


	118. Valentine's Day

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin's picture-perfect life started to get some cracks.

Chapter One Hundred Seventeen

"Are you sure that we have everything?" Justin asked again. He had Brianna––fast asleep–– in one arm and the diaper bag in another. They were getting ready to drop the baby off with Daphne for the night. It was Valentine's Day and as much as Brian and Justin loved Brianna, they needed some time to themselves, especially on the most romantic day of the year.

"Yes," Brian assured him. "Stop worrying. If we forget anything, Daphne can always come back and get it."

"It's just weird that she's only a few weeks old and we're already spending a night without her," Justin admitted. "It's throwing me for a loop."

"I promise you are going to have to a great time." Brian came down the stairs with a bag of clothes for the baby. "We'll call Daphne and check on her every hour."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise." Brian kissed the tip of his nose.

"And we did promise Daphne that she'd get Brianna for the night. We can't change our minds now, she'd be devastated."

"Exactly."

Brian grabbed the diaper bag from Justin's arm and took the bag of clothes out to the Jeep. It was snowing lightly and he didn't want Justin and the baby to have to come out until it was time to go. He threw the bags in the back of the Jeep and started the engine. It was so cold out that it took him a couple of tries before the engine turned over.

"Too bad we couldn't leave Rage with Daphne, too," Justin said, setting Brianna down in her car seat and petting the little puppy that was waiting at his feet, tail wagging excitedly. "Then we could really have the house to ourselves."

"I highly doubt he'll be much of an interruption," Brian pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right. I just can't wait to be alone with you."

"It will be nice to fuck like normal fags for one and not have to keep it down so we don't wake the baby."

"Yeah, I'm really gonna let loose tonight."

"I promise you that you will cum and cum and cum."

"I can't argue with that."

Justin zipped Brianna up in her winter coat. "You have the spare key for Daphne, right?"

"Yes, dear." Brian laughed. "Everything is taken care of."

"Sorry."

"It's fine. You're cute when you freak out."

"You know, for once I'd like to see you freak out."

"That'll never happen," Brian insisted. "It takes a lot to get me worked up."

"It didn't last night." Justin grinned mischievously.

"Not that kind of worked up." Brian sidled up next to Justin and rested his head on the back of his shoulder. At the mention of their exploits the night before, he felt himself stiffening. They had gone at it all night again, finally falling asleep just as the sun started to rise. Luckily, Brianna had slept soundly, only waking up once, though had they not kept it quiet, she surely would have been up and then their fun would have spoiled.

"Is that what I think it is?" Justin asked, turning around. He could feel Brian's erection poking into his back.

"What do you think?" Brian quirked an eyebrow.

Justin grinned. "I think we should do something about that," he said, kneeling down.

"I think so too," Brian agreed, sighing with pleasure as Justin undid his fly. He put one hand against the wall and buried the other in Justin's hair. Before getting started, Justin peered up at Brian, his eyes heavy with lust. Brian stared back, his heart racing. Grinning, Justin took him into his mouth. Brian gasped quietly, mindful not to wake up the baby. He tipped his head back and gave himself over to pleasure, reveling in it. He gently tugged on Justin's hair as his climax drew closer. Justin stopped for a second and looked up at Brian again. _Don't stop! _Brian quietly commanded. Slowly, he guided Justin's head back down.

Within a few minutes, the deed was done. Brian zipped his pants back up and cleared his throat. "Thanks," he said, pulling Justin closer and kissing him passionately.

"It was my pleasure." Justin laughed. "We should probably get going. If we're late, Daphne will have a fit."

"If we must." Draping his arm around Justin's shoulder, Brian picked up the car seat and led the way to the Jeep. "You know what I'm looking forward to most about our night?" he asked.

"All the hot sex?" Justin ventured.

"Yep," Brian teased.

"Hey!" Justin smacked his arm.

"I was just kidding!"

"I know." Justin rubbed the spot he had smacked. "So what are you looking forward to most about our night?"

"Spending it with you," Brian confessed. "It'll be nice to have a normal conversation without interruption."

"Sounds good to me," Justin agreed. "Things have just been so chaotic lately. I know it's an adjustment. But I've never been happier." He looked at his reflection in the rearview mirror. There were dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. "Christ, I look like hell."

"I think you're gorgeous the way you are," Brian said meaningfully.

"Thanks," Justin beamed.

When they were halfway to Pittsburgh, Brian's cell phone rang. "What now?" he mumbled, digging it out of his pocket. "Yeah?"

"Hey, Brian, it's me." Michael.

"Hey, Mikey."

"What are you doing?"

"Driving. Why?"

"Ted, Emmett, and I are at the diner and we thought maybe you and Justin would like to join us," Michael said. "If you guys aren't busy, of course."

"No, we'll be there. Twenty minutes."

"See you then."

"Later." Brian disconnected.

"Where will we be in twenty minutes?" Justin asked.

"The diner."

"Are we meeting the guys there?"

"Yep."

"Cool. We haven't seen them much in the last few weeks. It'll be nice to catch up."

Daphne was waiting in the hallway when they got to her apartment building. "There you are," she said, bouncing with nervous energy. "I was starting to think you weren't coming."

"Sorry, we got a little tied up." Justin shot Brian a secret smile.

"Here she is," Brian said, setting the car seat down.

"Oh!" Daphne exclaimed, grinning broadly. "She's even more beautiful than I remember." She bent down to pick up Brianna. "Hey, honey." she kissed Brianna on the cheek. "Mommy's here."

"We packed everything you'll need," Justin continued. "Diapers, wipes, food, clothes, you name it."

"Okay."

"And here's a key to the house in case we forgot anything and you need to go pick it up." Brian handed her the key.

"Thanks" Daphne laughed.

"What?" Justin asked.

"It's just, you two are such drama queens. I'm only taking her overnight and you're both freaking out making sure I have a key to the house in case you forgot anything." She paused. "It's cute."

"We are not drama queens," Brian assured her

Brianna started to fuss. "She's probably hungry," Justin said. "I usually feed her around this time."

"What about naps? Does she have a schedule for that?"

"Pretty much whenever she's starts to whine a lot, we put her down. She falls asleep pretty easily; just remember to keep checking on her."

"Justin, I used to babysit my little cousin when he was a baby," Daphne reminded him. "Everything will be fine."

"Yeah." Justin laughed.

"We have to get going," Brian said quietly. "They're waiting for us at the diner."

"Already?" Justin's heart started to ache. It was going to be a lot harder than he had thought to leave Brianna behind. Now he knew how Daphne had felt when they'd taken her home from the hospital.

"Come on," Brian urged gently.

"Okay." Fighting back tears, Justin tenderly stroked Brianna's soft cheek. "Bye, baby," he whispered.

"Bye, honey." Brian kissed her forehead and turned to Daphne. "Bye, dear," he joked, kissing her cheek.

"Bye, guys. Have fun tonight."

"We will," Brian assured her.

Taking one last look at Brianna, Brian and Justin went back down the hall to the stairs. Justin allowed himself to be led by Brian. When they got outside to the car Brian asked, "Are you okay?"

"It's hard," Justin confessed, taking a deep breath. He felt like he was abandoning his child. How did other parents deal with this? How did Brian deal with this when Gus had to go back home?

"Come here." Brian pulled him close against his chest and held him tightly, kissing the top of his head. "It'll be okay," he soothed. "Just give it an hour or so and you'll be grateful for the break."

"Maybe." Justin sniffled. "How do you cope with this?" he asked. "You must feel the same way I do every time you have to take Gus back home."

"I have you," Brian answered simply.

"And I have you." Justin buried his face deeper into Brian's chest, finding comfort there. Brian would make everything okay. He always did.

After a few minutes, Justin pulled back. "I'm hungry," he said, getting into the car.

"Me, too. Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Justin smiled encouragingly. "It's just going to take some getting used to."

"It gets easier with time," Brian promised. "Trust me."

"I trust you."

"Let's go get something to eat."

"Okay." Justin rested his head on Brian's shoulder.

When they got the diner, the others were waiting. Justin had calmed down during the ride over. "Hey guys!" Michael said cheerily. His face lit up as he spotted them.

"Hey, Mikey," Brian said, sliding in next to him.

"Hi." Justin squeezed in next to Brian.

"No baby?" Emmett asked disappointedly.

"Sorry." Justin caught Brian's eye. "We left her with Daphne. We'll bring her next time, promise."

"You'd better."

"You're late," Ted grumbled grouchily.

"My, Theodore, it would appear that you're over the flu," Brian replied, grinning wickedly.

"I already apologized for that."

"Whatever."

"I'm surprised you guys even made it," Ted continued.

"Why wouldn't we?" Brian asked. "We always come."

"Well, now that you have a baby, I guess I just assumed that we'd be seeing less of you."

Brian scoffed. "Don't get your hopes up, Theodore. Justin and I aren't the kind of parents whose life stops just because we have a baby. We'll still be around. There'll just be a baby with us from now on."

"How is my future wife doing, anyway?" Emmett asked Justin.

"She's doing great," Justin answered. The ache in his chest had lessened a little. He still missed Brianna, but he was looking forward to spending a whole night uninterrupted with Brian. Just the two of them. Even though they had both been home for the past few weeks, they hadn't gotten as much time together as they were accustomed to since one of them was always taking care of the baby.

"If you ever need a babysitter, let me know," Emmett continued.

"Okay." Justin laughed. "How about being our nanny? We'll need one for when Brian and I have to go to work."

"Sorry, I don't love her that much," Emmett joked, turning to his menu.

"I didn't think so."

A few minutes later, Debbie came by to take their orders. When she saw Brian and Justin, she grinned. "Hey, boys! I wasn't expecting to see you today!"

"And miss a delicious lunch courtesy of the Liberty Diner?" Brian replied snidely. "We wouldn't dream of it."

"Someone's grumpy today," Deb noted, laughing. "What's the matter kiddo, not getting enough sex?"

"I'm getting plenty," Brian assured her.

"Then what? Is the baby keeping you up all night?"

"Actually, she's a very easy baby," Justin answered. "She only wakes up a couple of times in the night and she goes right back to sleep pretty quickly."

"You got lucky." Debbie smiled. "But wait until the terrible twos hit. That's when the real fun starts. Michael was a handful."

"Ma!" Michael chastised. "Can you not tell anymore embarrassing stories about my childhood?"

"Fine, Michael." Debbie shook her head. "What about the time...?"

"No!"

Justin decided to jump in and save Michael. "Brian and I are looking forward to getting some time alone." He seized Brian's hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

"Are you going somewhere for Valentine's Day?" Debbie asked.

"Sunshine and I are spending the night at home," Brian answered. "What could be more romantic than that?"

"I don't know." Justin leaned over and they kissed.

"Wow, that's unexpected from you."

"What are you doing?" Justin asked.

"Carl's just taking me out to dinner."

"Deb, can I get some service?" someone called.

"I'll be back," Debbie promised, leaving to take the person's order.

"Wait," Emmett cut in. "You're just going to stay in?"

"Unless there's another meaning to the word," Brian said.

"No Babylon? No Boy Toy? Nothing?"

"Nope. We're saving up for Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney."

"I am so jealous! I soooo want to go!"

"Why don't you and Calvin go?" Justin offered.

"Calvin's always busy with work." Emmett sighed. "I am not going there alone. I love Calvin more than words, but I don't trust myself with all of those hot Aussies."

"Oh, Em." Ted shook his head.

"Really?" Michael asked.

"I mean, I would never intentionally hurt Calvin again I was lucky enough to get him back and I'm not going to do anything to fuck it up, but I don't want the temptation."

"Why don't you go when he gets his next vacation?" Justin suggested.

"Oh, no." Emmett shook his head emphatically. "I cannot afford that after the trip to New York. I won't be able to afford any trip for a long, long time. Especially now that half of my income is going to take care of my dad."

"That sucks." Justin chewed his lip. "You can come with us. You can have our tickets. Brian and I can buy another set."

"No." Emmett smiled. "Thank you, though. I'll be fine. Besides, you guys need some time alone. You don't want me interrupting."

"You're right Emmett, we don't," Brian assured him.

"Thanks, Brian." Emmett stuck his tongue out at Brian.

Ted scoffed. "I can't believe you still fuck like you do. Considering…."

"Considering what?" Brian asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Considering that you're married now. They say that sex always dwindles after you get married."

"Believe me, Theodore, whoever said that was full of shit. Sunshine and I fuck all the time. And I love being married to him."

"Aw thanks." Justin kissed his cheek.

"And what are you and Blake going to be doing?" Emmett asked.

"I haven't decided yet. I was thinking a nice, quiet dinner at home. Followed by..."

"Some sweaty, mediocre fucking to _Madame Butterfly_?" Brian suggested.

"Very funny." Ted rolled his eyes.

"You're free to come see _Romeo and Juliet_with Calvin and I," Emmett offered.

"We'll see," Ted mumbled.

Brian turned to Michael. "What about you, Mikey? What are you and the Professor going to do?"

"We're going to go out to dinner and then go see a movie."

"How sweet." Brian laughed.

"Well what could compare to a nonstop fuckfest?"

"Nothing?"

"I knew you'd say that."

"You know me too well, Mikey."

Debbie came back. "Okay. So, it's the turkey sandwich on rye, no mayo for Brian; the grilled cheese for Sunshine; the Pink Plate Special for Michael; the BLT for Teddy; and the burger and fries for Emmett," she said, writing each item down as she went.

"You know us to well," Emmett said dryly.

"Your food will be ready in a few minutes."

"Thanks. Deb," they all said in unison.

"So, Ted, how's Babylon doing?" Justin asked. He and Brian hadn't gone to Babylon in almost a month.

"Business is better than ever. I'm actually thinking about getting a house for me and Blake soon," Ted replied.

"That's nice."

"You and Brian should come by soon. Babylon misses you."

"I guess we could leave the baby with Daphne," Justin mused. "What do you think?" he asked Brian.

Brian shrugged. "It sounds good to me. It's been awhile since we've gone out dancing."

"We should all go!" Emmett exclaimed. "Get the whole gang back together again."

"I could use a break from working on my book," Michael agreed. "I'm in."

"Great. I can hear the thumpa thumpa calling," Emmett said.

"We really need to hang out more," Michael continued. "I can't help but feel like we're all growing apart." No one knew what to say. In a way, they had grown apart in the recent months. But no matter what trials were tested upon their friendship, nothing could break them apart. Nothing.

* * *

Michael looked across the table at Ben and smiled. The restaurant was packed with couples out dining for Valentine's Day. "How's your shrimp scampi?" Ben asked, his full attention on Michael.

"It's amazing!" Michael took another bite and sighed with pleasure. "This has got to be the best restaurant in Pittsburgh."

"That's why I brought you here."

"I can't believe I've never been here before. I've lived in Pittsburgh for almost thirty-five years and I've never even heard of this place."

"It's one of my many secrets," Ben assured him.

"How's your tofu ravioli?"

"It's good. Do you want some?"

Michael politely declined. Since he had started his relationship with Ben, he had gotten used to eating tofu and other healthy foods, but the sound of tofu ravioli made his stomach turn. "This is nice," he commented.

"What is?"

"The two of us, going out to dinner. It's been awhile since we've done this."

"Yeah, I guess it has." Ben frowned.

"Maybe we should make it a tradition to go out more often," Michael continued. "I mean, we have dinner with my mom at least once a week. We have to do something to make up for that."

"Sounds good to me."

"Good." Michael inconspicuously reached into his pocket and pulled out a little box. "I got you this," he said, setting the box down on the tabletop.

"What is it?" Ben asked.

"Dunno, open it." Michael smiled encouragingly.

Ben slowly opened the box and a grin broke out on his face. "A new watch," he said.

"You said you needed one."

"Oh, it's a Rolex." Ben met Michael's gaze. "This must've been pretty expensive."

"I can afford it," Michael assured him.

"I love it." Ben leaned across the table and kissed Michael. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I have something for you, too."

"Oh, no."

"Come on, it's Valentine's Day." He set a metal object before Michael.

"Car keys?" Michael asked, knitting his brows.

"There's a car that goes with it." Ben laughed.

"Oh, my God! You're kidding!"

"No."

"But how...?"

"I had enough saved up in the bank to get you something that I hope you'll like. It's nothing too expensive, but it'll do."

Michael got up from his seat and hugged Ben fiercely. "Thank you!"

"You didn't even see it yet," Ben pointed out.

"I don't care. You know me better than anyone." Ben arched an eyebrow. "Okay. Better than anyone expect my mother and Brian. My point is, you couldn't pick out something bad."

"That's good to know."

"So, where is it?" Michael.

"I sent Hunter to go pick up. It's probably back at the house waiting for us."

"You sent Hunter to go get it?" Michael inquired skeptically. Ben nodded innocently. "Can we go see it?"

"Sure." Ben signaled the waiter over and gave her his credit card.

On their way out, Michael happened to look over and see his mother and Carl. "Ma?" he exclaimed, mouth agape.

"Hey, Michael!" Debbie squealed, grinning.

"Hi, Carl."

"Michael, Ben." Carl nodded politely.

"What are you doing here?" Michael asked, keeping his tone light.

"I told you Carl and I were going out to eat." She laughed. "What are the chances of us going to the same restaurant?"

"Slim," Michael agreed. "Well, we were just on our way out..."

"Going home to fuck?" Debbie's eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Ma!" Michael hissed, feeling his face flush.

"Oh, relax, honey, I'm just kidding."

Michael wanted to tell her that she wasn't funny, but that would've pissed her off. "Anyway, we're on our way home."

"Bye, honey, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Ben said, waving. When they were out the door, he said, "That was big of you."

"What?"

"Not snipping at your mother when she embarrassed you."

"I'm in too good a mood to spoil it."

"Happy Valentine's Day." Ben slipped his arm around Michael's waist.

"Happy Valentine's Day." Michael rested his head on Ben's shoulder.

* * *

When Ted got home from work, Blake was sitting on the couch, reading. "Hey," he said.

"Hey." Blake put the book down and grinned. "I didn't know when you were going to be home."

"Yeah, sorry. I got really busy at work and lost track of time," Ted explained, slipping off his suit jacket.

"It's okay." Blake kissed his cheek. "Do you want to stay in tonight?"

"It doesn't matter to me." Ted relaxed in Blake's arms. "What do you want to do?"

"Whatever you want to do is good with me."

"To be honest, I'm not really sure what to do. I've always been single on Valentine's Day."

"You poor baby." Blake massaged Ted's shoulders.

"Emmett mentioned something about a production of _Romeo and Juliet_ at the Pittsburgh Public Theater..."

"Really!" Blake laughed. "That is my all-time favorite Shakespeare play."

Ted grinned. "Do you want to go? I'm sure we can still get tickets."

"Is that okay with you?"

"Go get dressed, we're going," Ted said, smacking Blake on the ass.

"Okay!" Blake rushed into the bedroom to get out of his pajamas. Ted laughed.

"Ready?" Ted asked when Blake came out a few minutes later.

"Sure. What do you think?" He spun around. He was wearing a suit.

"That's the suit I bought for you!"

"I kept it," Blake confessed. "It always made me think of you."

"I'm touched." Ted laughed. "Now, come on, we're going to be late!"

They made it to the theater in time to catch Emmett and Calvin on their way in. "Oh, my God, Teddy, I didn't know you were coming!" Emmett exclaimed, hugging Ted.

"It was a last minute decision," Ted admitted. "As it turns out, Blake's a huge _R_ and _J _fan."

"I never would've guessed." Emmett patted Blake on the arm. "It's my favorite Shakespeare play, too."

"Are we going in?" Calvin asked, nodding toward the doors. The lights in the foyer were dimming. The show was about to start.

"Let's go." Emmett linked one arm though Calvin's and the other through Ted's. Together, they went into the theater.

* * *

Lindsay blew the candles out. "That was the best Valentine's Day dinner I've ever had," she boasted, rubbing her bloated belly. Melanie had made a feast and it had been so good that Lindsay had eaten more than she should have.

"It was all for you my shiksa goddess." Melanie leaned in and kissed Lindsay. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day." Lindsay held Mel close. "It was nice of your cousin Jeanie to take Gus and JR for the night."

"Well, Jeanie doesn't have a boyfriend or husband so she's not really missing out," Melanie assured her.

Lindsay nodded and started to collect the dirty dishes from the table. "Put them down," Melanie commanded, using her own hands to force Lindsay to do as she was told.

"What are you doing?" Lindsay asked, laughing.

"They can wait until tomorrow. I'm got a little surprise for you upstairs."

"You do?"

"Come on, Linz." Mel grabbed Lindsay's hand and led her up the stairs and into the bedroom.

"Strawberries," Lindsay said.

"And chocolate," Mel whispered, her breath hot on Lindsay's neck.

"Oh."

"And I got this." Melanie pulled a blindfold out of her pocket. "I thought it could be fun."

"Let's give it a try," Lindsay replied, pulling Melanie closer. They collapsed onto the bed, their kisses growing more and more passionate.

* * *

Brian heaved a contented sigh. "That was great," he murmured, his eyes half open.

"It must be the deafening silence," Justin teased, burrowing his head into Brian's hot chest.

"Well, whatever it was, it was good."

"Yeah, it was." Justin laughed, running his finger up and down Brian's chest. "This is the best Valentine's Day I've ever had," he confessed.

"It's not over yet," Brian said innocently.

"What?" Justin looked over at Brian, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Close your eyes," Brian whispered.

"Seriously?"

"Just do it."

Sighing, Justin closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he felt Brian pull his hand up and slip something cool onto his finger. _A ring?_ he thought, confused. "Open them." Justin slowly opened his eyes and gasped. Brian had gotten him a diamond ring.

"A diamond ring!" he exclaimed, laughing in disbelief.

"A diamond _promise _ring," Brian corrected him.

"A promise ring?" Justin was so shocked that he could barely form words.

"I'm promising that as soon as gay marriage is legal here, you and I are going to make it real. None of this commitment shit that we have now."

"Really?" Justin asked, his voice cracking.

"Really."

Brian pulled Justin close, hugging him tightly. Seeing how Justin's face had lit up at the sight of the ring made his heart race with excitement. "I love you Justin," he whispered in his ear.

"I love you, too." Justin leaned up and kissed Brian excitedly.

"So I take that as a yes?" Brian teased.

Justin nodded emphatically.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin head off to Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney.


	119. The Pleasure Principle

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Justin bought Brian tickets to go to Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney. Brian bought Justin a diamond promise ring.

The gang met up at the Liberty Diner and made plans to meet up for a night out at Babylon.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Eighteen

The winter gave way to spring and by April, Liberty Avenue was restored to its former glory. The biting cold was slowly ceasing, giving way to the much needed warmth, a pleasant omen to the summer that was fast approaching.

Brian and Justin got out of the Jeep and made their way across the alley to Babylon. They'd just dropped Brianna off with Daphne for the week. It was their last night in town before they left for Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney. Sure, they felt a little guilty abandoning their parental responsibilities, but the way they saw it, Brianna was just as much Daphne's child as she was theirs and Daphne deserved equal time with the baby especially since she didn't have much else to occupy her time. She still hadn't found a man to love her and the pain was evident in her eyes, even though she'd never admit it.

They stopped in the doorway, huddling together against the chill. Spring had yet to take full effect, but it was nowhere near as cold as it had been even a few weeks earlier. The weather in Sydney would be perfect: warm enough to wear short sleeves and shorts. And the men…..

The doormen spotted them and waved them through. A few of the men waiting in line to get in started to complain, but the doorman silenced them with a look.

The pulsing beat of the music drew them in, immediately making them forget about all of the stress in their lives. After all, Babylon was the place where nobody ever grew up, nothing outside mattered.

"Do you see the guys?" Justin asked, standing on tiptoe to see over the throng of half- dressed bodies in front of him.

"They're upstairs," Brian replied, shouting to be heard over the music.

They made their way up the stairs to the second-floor catwalk. Justin shook his bangs out of his eyes. He hadn't had time for a haircut lately and his hair had grown long. "Damn bangs," he muttered.

"I think they're cute," Brian assured him, kissing his cheek. Justin grinned, feeling every bit the seventeen year old he'd been the night he'd first met Brian outside of the club.

As they got closer to their friends, Michael turned and immediately his face lit up with a boyish grin. "Hey!" he called, waving excitedly. The others turned to see what had excited him and waved them over.

"Oh, Christ," Brian groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Be nice," Justin teased, putting his arm around Brian's waist.

Michael broke away from Ben's embrace and threw his arms around Brian. "It's about time you got here!" he cried.

"I missed you, too, Mikey." Brian hugged him tightly. They'd seen each other plenty in the last few weeks, but they hadn't gotten around to their night out at Babylon that they'd planned back in February. It was nice to get out and do things with their friends like normal people again.

"Hi, Justin!" Michael gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Hey!" Justin hugged him.

They migrated over to the others.

After the greetings and hugs were exchanged, Emmett asked, "Where's the baby?"

"We dropped her off with Daphne," Justin explained, sighing.

"I'm sure that means a lot to her," Ben said.

"It does." Justin nodded. "I know it's still hard on her that she had to sign over her parental rights. We're making sure that she gets plenty of time with Brianna, though."

"That's very kind of you," Blake interjected.

"Don't you find it hard, though?" Michael asked. "Leaving her like that?"

"You have no idea," Justin said before he thought it through. He winced. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Michael waved it off. Getting to spend time with Jenny Rebecca when Brian went to pick up Gus had definitely helped him come to terms with his own child issues.

"It's very hard," Justin continued. "But I feel like I owe it to Daphne. She's not lucky enough to have a man like Brian in her life to keep her occupied."

"Awww, thanks, dear," Brian said facetiously.

"You're awfully cranky for someone who's spending the next week Down Under," Ted noted.

"I'm just tired."

"That's right!" Emmett brightened up. "Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney! God, the men are going to be gorgeous!"

Calvin cleared his throat dramatically, but his smile never faltered. "Oh, really?"

"Not as gorgeous as you, though." They kissed, their arms enveloping each other.

Brian shook his head. "It's nice to see that your passion hasn't dwindled," he muttered.

"Aren't you going to be tempted?" Ted asked.

"Tempted to do what?" Brian challenged.

"It's just…being around all those hot, hung men, aren't you going to be tempted to stray?"

"It's going to take more than a few hung Aussies to make me even consider that," Brian said.

"I'll keep him in line," Justin assured Ted. "He knows how wicked I can be."

"I'm going to get a beer." Brian turned to Justin. "You want anything?"

"I'll have whatever you're having," Justin replied, flashing Brian his most charming smile.

"I'll be back." Brian went down the stairs and vanished into the crowd.

Justin turned his attention back to his friends. "It looks like the place is doing really well, Ted. It's packed."

"Finally." Ted laughed. "Now that I got rid of those disgusting go-go boys business is better than ever."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"They are pretty hot," Emmett noted, taking the sight. The go-go boys were dancing to the music, their well-muscled torsos shimmering in the lights. Their tight black briefs left little to the imagination. Emmett found it funny how no matter how bad the economy was, fags could still scrounge up enough money to go out to the club and drool over the dancers. How typical.

"I'd have hated to see Babylon demolished and turned into a Starbuck's," Justin mused.

"Amen to that." Emmett downed the rest of his Cosmopolitan. "Liberty Avenue belongs to the queers. Straights can stay out." He caught Michael's eye and paused. "Well, expect for your mother."

"She counts as a gay man," Michael teased. "Hell, she's gayer than all of us combined."

"And that's saying something," Ted agreed, laughing.

"But we love her," Ben added for posterity.

"Yeah, I don't know what we'd do without Deb," Justin said. "She's kind of like the glue that holds us all together."

Brian came back with the drinks. "Here you go, Sunshine," he said, handing Justin a bottle of beer.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Brian kissed his cheek.

"To Deb," he continued, raising his beer.

"To Deb," the other said, clinking their bottles together and taking a sip.

"Why are we toasting to Deb?" Brian asked.

"Because without her, none of us would be the men we are today."

"Oh." Brian considered that. "That's true."

They finished their drinks and the song changed to an old favorite, the club remix of Janet Jackson's "The Pleasure Principle."

"Oh, my God!" Emmett exclaimed. "I love this song!"

"Me, too!" Michael grabbed Ben's hand. "Come on, let's go dance!"

"Okay." Ben followed along dutifully behind him.

"God, I remember when this song first came out," Ted grumbled. "I feel so old."

"Not too old to dance," Blake replied, his eyes twinkling. They followed behind Michael and Ben.

"Come on, honey," Emmett declared, shaking his hips. "Let's dance."

"Yes, sir," Calvin said, grinding is hips against Emmett's.

"Now _that_ is an image I could have done without," Brian remarked dryly.

"Don't be such a party pooper," Justin teased, swaying slightly to the music. He undid a few buttons on his shirt and slid his hand down the front, stroking his chest. Brian licked his lips. Sighing, he allowed himself to be led down to the dance floor.

They reconvened in the center of the dance floor, each couple doing their own thing. "Are you even old enough to know who Janet Jackson is?" Brian teased, holding Justin close, his erection brushing Justin's hip.

"Just because I think that _Dirty Dancing_ is a really old movie doesn't mean I don't appreciate eighties pop," Justin shot back, sticking his tongue out.

"I just thought you'd be more into Britney and Christina."

"Fuck Britney and Christina. The eighties was the best era for pop music."

"Can't argue with that."

"And just FYI, I'm not that young."

"Compared to the rest of us tired, old queens."

"Oh, shut up." Justin brushed his lips against Brian's neck.

Brian leaned down and their lips met, the music fading into nothing more than a background annoyance. With each second the passion increased, their hands slowly poking and prodding.

Justin broke the kiss, his eyes glowing with lust. "Backroom?" he asked.

"Yeah."

They hurried back, barely making into the backroom before their clothes were gone.

Half an hour later, they resurfaced, faces flushed and lust – for the moment – sated. They searched the crowd for their friends and found them at the bar. "Where'd you two get off to?" Emmett asked sarcastically.

"We took a stroll through Never land," Brian shot back.

"It's nice to see that some things never change."

"Never."

Michael handed Brian a beer. "I ordered you another one."

"Thanks, Mikey." Brian kissed the top of his head and slipped one arm around Michael's shoulder. The other was twined around Justin.

"I hope you didn't leave a mess back there," Ted joked. "I'm tired of scraping cum off the floor."

"Don't worry, Theodore, I'm certain that most of it went down Sunshine's throat."

"Brian!" Justin exclaimed, playfully smacking Brian's chest. He laughed.

Michael cleared his throat. "I hate to be a stick in the mud, but it's already two in the morning. We should probably get going."

"Already?" Emmett whined.

"I have to get up in the morning for class," Ben reminded them all.

"Okay." Emmett sighed and gave both Michael and Ben a kiss on the cheek. "Night, sweetie."

"Good night." Michael said his goodbyes to Ted and Blake and Calvin before turning to Brian. "Well, I'm not going to see you for the rest of the week…"

"No," Brian realized.

"Have fun on your trip." He caught Justin's eye and smiled.

"We will," Justin replied.

"Be safe!"

"Always." Brian pulled Michael close and kissed him, holding contact for longer than was necessary. If Justin hadn't known how much Michael meant to Brian, he would have been jealous.

"See you guys," Ben interrupted. He yawned.

"Nighty night Professor." Brian waved.

Michael and Ben disappeared into the sea of half-naked bodies and were gone.

Justin hugged Brian close. "We should probably get going, too. We have to drive all the way back to West Virginia tonight."

"And we have our flight at noon," Brian agreed, downing the rest of his beer. "Theodore, Emmett, men," he looked at all four in turn. "I bid you adieu."

"Good night, guys," Justin said, setting his empty beer bottle down on the bar.

"Bye."

"Have fun!"

Neither of them wanted to leave the pulsating thumpa thumpa, but if they didn't leave now, they'd regret it when they had to get up for their flight. And they didn't want to arrive in Sydney exhausted. There was so much to do! So much to see!

* * *

Morning came too early. Justin cracked his eye open and groaned. "What time is it?" he asked, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"Ten," Brian replied, yawning.

"When's our flight?"

"Noon."

"Shit."

They forced themselves out of bed and jumped in the shower. They were dressed and out the door on time. All of the packing had been done the night before, so all they had to do was grab their bags and take them out to the Jeep. Michael had agreed to swing by the airport and pick the Jeep up later in the day. Brian didn't think it was a good idea to leave it at the airport for a week.

Justin slowly felt himself waking up as they got nearer to the airport. "I can't wait to get there," he said.

"Me neither. We both need this vacation." Brian put his hand on Justin's leg and squeezed.

"It'll be nice to get away from work and everything and just be, you know?"

"Yeah."

"And I need to start working on my tan again." He looked down at his pale arms. "I had such a nice tan last summer."

"I think you look hot just the way you are," Brian said, grinning devilishly.

"If you think that's going to convince me to give you a blowjob, you're sorely mistaken," Justin teased, laughing.

"If anyone owes anyone a blowjob, I owe you one."

"For what?"

"For buying these tickets."

Justin shrugged. "I knew how much you wanted to go."

"Thank you." Brian wasn't used to thanking Justin. He hated to admit it, but he kind of liked it. It was nice to not have to be the one in control all the time.

"It's nothing compared to everything you've given me. Taking me in, helping me when my hand was fucked up and I couldn't even draw, paying for school…."

"You've more than worked that off."

"I highly doubt that."

Brian stopped at a stoplight, his eyebrow arching. "Well, if you feel the need to show your gratitude, I certainly won't stop you."

"There's the old Brian." Justin grinned and undid his seatbelt. He leaned across the car and brushed his lips against Brian's before he worked his way down. He expertly undid the fly on Brian's jeans and reached in, pulling Brian's erect cock out. Looking up at Brian through his lashes, he slid it into his mouth.

Brian sighed pleasurably and leaned his head back, the ecstasy taking over. He closed his eyes, his lips parting slightly.

The light turned green, but Brian was too lost on the sea of pleasure that he didn't even notice. The person behind them got pissed and laid on their horn. Brian rolled his window down and flipped them off. He opened his eyes and stepped down on the gas, tearing off.

Justin stopped long enough to laugh. "What was that about?" he asked.

"Nothing." Brian's tone was desperate. He didn't want the pleasure to stop.

Justin slipped Brian's dick back into his mouth and Brian gasped, burying his fingers in Justin's blond tresses.

By the time they got to the airport, Justin had finished his task. He wiped the corners of his mouth and got back into his seat. "Well?" he prompted, holding back a smile.

"That was fucking amazing!" Brian gasped. "Where did you learn that?"

"It's just a little something I picked up from a book."

"Remind me to write a letter to the author."

"Duly noted."

They went through the routine of having their luggage scanned and waiting for their plane to board. "I'm going to give Daphne a call and see how Brianna's doing," Justin said, fishing his cellphone out of his pocket. After a few rings, Daphne picked up. "Hey!" she sounded happy.

"Hey." Justin nestled into Brian. "How's everything going?"

"Oh, she's fine! We're having a blast, aren't we, Bri?"

Justin could hear the baby gurgling in the background. He felt his heart break a little, but set his jaw. He had to give Daphne time with the baby, too. It was only fair.

"Do you want to talk to her?" Daphne asked.

"I wish I could, but we're about to get on the plane."

"Okay."

"Just….give her a kiss for me, okay?"

"Okay."

"All right, I'll call you tomorrow and see how you're doing."

"Have a safe flight."

"We will."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Justin hung up and blinked back tears. "You okay?" Brian asked, holding him tight.

"I'll be fine," Justin assured him. "I have you."

"Always."

Brian held Justin for the whole flight.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin arrive in Sydney and Brian shares something personal with Justin.


	120. Good News

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Before heading off to Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney, Brian and Justin spent a night out with their friends at Babylon.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Nineteen

After their plane landed in Sydney, Brian and Justin went straight to the hotel. The festivities didn't start for another couple of days and after the flight, they were tired. They checked in at the front desk and went right up to their room, collapsing onto the bed. "You know," Justin said, burrowing under the covers, "I think that after this, we should stay home for awhile. We've had a pretty crazy year. We've been to Paris, Italy, New York, and now this. It would be nice to just relax."

"I thought that was the whole point of these trips," Brian pointed out.

"It is, but I'd like to relax at home."

"But we haven't even gone to merry old England yet."

"Just for a few months," Justin continued. "I'm sure your credit cards would appreciate the break."

"I guess I'll just have to alone from now on," Brian teased.

"You're joking, right?" Justin asked, sitting up.

"Of course I'm kidding." Brian looked into his eyes. "I thought you would have known that by now."

"I'm sorry. I'm just feeling a little off today."

Brian rubbed Justin's shoulder comfortingly. "It's the baby, isn't it?" he asked. "You miss her."

"Don't you?"

"More than you know," Brian admitted. "But I'm not going to let it ruin the trip. No matter how much we want to, we can't always be in the kids' lives. We have to learn to go on."

"You're right." Justin sighed. "I'm just not used to this. I mean, it was hard when Gus went back home after the summer, but this is different for me."

"Why don't you call Daphne again and see how things are going?"

"I don't know that that's such a good idea..."

"Would it put you at ease?"

"Yes."

"Then do it."

"Fine."

Justin dragged himself out of bed and dug in his bag for his cell phone. "Shit," he muttered, throwing the phone down. He had planned on recharging it the night before, but one thing had led to another and by the time he remembered, it was almost time to head to the airport. Now he was paying for his negligence.

"What?" Brian asked.

"My phone's dead. I knew I should've charged it last night."

"Here." Brian tossed him his cell phone. "Use mine."

"Thanks." Justin punched in Daphne's number and sat on the edge of the bed, nervously tapping his feet on the floor.

"Hello?" Daphne said, sounding cheery.

"Hey,Daph. It's me. Again"

"Oh, hey, Justin! How are things Down Under?"

"I'll get back to you on that one. We just got here and went right back to the hotel."

"Are you two, like, doing it?"

"No!" Justin laughed. "Not yet anyway." He paused. "How's the baby?"

"She's doing fine. Why didn't you tell me such was such an easy baby? I was expecting to be up all night listening to her cry."

"It must've slipped my mind."

Daphne laughed. "We are having so much fun. Well, I am. I don't think that Brianna is old enough to know what fun is. I'm really enjoying having her here."

"I'm glad."

"How are you holding up?"

"I miss her, but I have to get used to this."

"Well, if you have any trouble adjusting, you have Brian there to help."

"You really need to get laid,Daph," Justin joked.

"Justin!"

"Come on, you're obsessing about my sex life. That's a sign that your sex life is nonexistent."

"I'm not ready for sex yet," Daphne confessed.

"Get back to me in a few months."

"I will."

"You'd better, I expect a detailed report."

Brian's phone vibrated and Justin looked at the screen. LOW BATTERY. "What was that?" Daphne asked.

"The battery's dying. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. Have fun."

"We will. Bye,Daph."

"Bye." Daphne was cut off as the battery died.

"I hope you brought your charger," Justin said, turning to Brian. "Your phone's dead, too."

"I came prepared." Brian pulled Justin back down onto the bed, holding him in his arms. "What did Daphne say?"

"Brianna's doing well. Great even."

"Good. Now you can relax, right?"

"Right," Justin relented, giggling as Brian ran his tongue down the back of his neck.

Brian stopped and grew serious. "Do you know what today is?" he asked.

"Our first day in Australia?" Justin answered.

"That too, but I was thinking something a little more important."

"It's a few days before the one year anniversary that Babylon was bombed."

"Something more personal," Brian hinted.

"What could be more personal than that? You could've lost Michael, Ben, Emmett, Ted, and me."

"I've been cancer-free for exactly two years,"Brian said. "Today. I went to the doctor the other day for a check-up and not even a hint of cancer."

"That's amazing!" Justin threw his arms around Brian, laughing. "How could I forget something like that?"

"I don't expect you to remember. You weren't the one with the cancer. But I won't object if you want to go and celebrate."

Justin grinned. "How about this: we take a nap now, and later, when we wake up, I'll take you out to eat somewhere."

"_You'll _take _me_ out?" Brian cocked an eyebrow.

"Unless you'd rather pay," Justin continued.

"I'd like that." Brian covered Justin's mouth with his own.

"It's a date, then."

"I suppose," Brian joked.

"Then we'd better hurry up and take our nap so we can get to all of the good restaurants before they're full.

"Whatever you say."

* * *

Michael pulled his new car up in front of the house. It had been a long, stressful day at work of doing inventory of the entire store. His neck and back were killing him and he wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for the rest of the evening. Well, maybe for a few hours, and then spend some time with Ben and Hunter.

He killed the engine and got out, moaning quietly as his back protested. Bracing it with his hand, he made his way up the driveway. He spotted Hunter sitting out on the front porch, writing in his journal.

"Hey," he said, smiling.

"Hey," Hunter replied, sounding disinterested.

"Sounds like you had a great day." Michael's tone was sarcastic.

"Oh, yeah. I just love getting dumped with a shit-ton of homework. I love having no time to myself."

"Looks like you're using your time wisely." Michael quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm venting," Hunter explained, his hand flying furiously over the page.

"Fair enough."

Michael sat down next to Hunter, the silence hanging in the hair. Hunter looked up at him through his chopped bangs. "Can I help you?" Hunter asked.

Michael shrugged. "I just wanted to see if you needed help with anything. I used to get good grades when I went to school."

"Yeah, like, twenty years ago."

Michael frowned. Something was seriously up with Hunter. He hadn't acted like a jackass since he'd moved back from Disney World. "How is everything?"

"Just great. You know, I wish you and Ben had warned me how much work college is before I signed up. I wouldn't have gone."

"You don't mean that," Michael said.

"Don't I?

Michael nodded in understanding. He'd been a teenager once, too. He knew what it was like to be sick of school. "I know that college is a lot of work, but it's worth it in the end when you have money to support yourself. You don't want to live with Ben and I forever do you?"

"I can support myself now. I make decent money at the diner."

"Not enough to support yourself. Do you know how much an apartment costs?" Michael frowned. "Are you saying that you don't want to live with Ben and I anymore?"

Hunter sighed. "No, I'm not saying that," he replied, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands.

"Are you going to tell me what's really bothering you?"

"It's…." Hunter paused, blowing air out of his cheeks.

"What?" Michael pressed gently.

"Today is Lexi and I's anniversary," Hunter blurted.

"Oh." Michael froze. Hunter had been doing so much better lately, he'd taken it for granted. "I'm sorry…"

"It's just that….I miss her." Hunter's voice broke with emotion and he shamefully lowered his head. "I miss her so much!" His shoulders started to quake.

Michael put a loving arm around Hunter and held him. "I know it hurts," he whispered, resting his chin on top of Hunter's head. "You'll never stop missing her. Never stop loving her, but time will help ease the pain a little…."

Hunter was quiet for a long time and then he sniffled. "Sorry," he said, swiping furiously at his eyes.

"You don't have to be sorry," Michael protested. "It's my job to be here for you when you're sad."

"Thanks." Hunter chuckled. "I don't know how I would've gotten through all of this without you and Ben."

Michael smiled. "You know, I think maybe we should call Robert and Antonique over for dinner. We haven't seen them in a while. I'm sure they're missing her, too."

"Yeah." Hunter nodded. "I'd like that."

Ben came up on the driveway on his bike. "Hey!" he said cheerfully.

"Hey!" Michael jumped to his feet and crossed to Ben, kissing him passionately.

After a loving kiss, Ben turned to Hunter. "Hey, Pal."

"Hey." For his part, Hunter at least made himself sound enthusiastic.

Michael cleared his throat. "I was thinking of inviting Robert and Antonique over for dinner tonight. Is that okay?

Ben shrugged. "I don't see why not. It's been so long since we've seen them. It'll be nice to catch up with them." He turned to Hunter again. "What do you think, Pal?"

Hunter smiled. "I can't wait for dinner!

Ben laughed and put his arm around Hunter. They went into the house. Michael stood outside alone for a minute. Hunter would be all right. He'd survived a lot of shit in his life, and while losing the love of his life was by far the worst, he'd make it. And if, on days like this, when the memories crept back, he and Ben would be there to help him. That was their job as parents.

Smiling, Michael followed his family inside.

* * *

Ted set his briefcase down on the floor by the couch and sat down. With Brian gone to Australia for the week, his responsibilities at Kinnetik had increased tremendously. But Brian wouldn't have left him in charge if he didn't think Ted could handle it. He could, but it was giving him one hell of a neck ache.

Blake came out of the bedroom and when he saw Ted, his face lit up. "Hey!" he said, crossing to sit down next to Ted on the couch.

"Hi." Seeing Blake, Ted felt the stress drain from his body like a wet rag being twisted.

"How was work?" Blake asked, kissing Ted's cheek softly.

"It was okay. There were a lot of meeting, but Brian made sure that I knew what I was doing before he left."

"That's good."

"What about you? How was your day?"

Blake shrugged. "The same as every other new, really."

Ted nodded. He remembered what it was like to be in rehab. Most of the time you didn't exactly feel like being around anyone, and then being forced into therapy…he knew from experience that Blake had to deal with a lot of angry people on a daily basis. It wasn't his cup of tea, but if it gave Blake a sense of fulfillment….

Blake nestled in against Ted's chest. "I love my job, I do, but my favorite part of the day is when I get to come home to you."

"Mine, too." Ted grinned and kissed the top of Blake's head. "Even if our home is a tiny little condo with no room."

"It's okay," Blake said. "We don't really need a lot of space."

Ted sat forward. "I've been thinking…."

"Yeah?" Blake eyed him, his brows knit quizzically.

"I know we talked about it a while ago, but…"

"You want to move?" Blake asked.

"We can afford it now and you were right, we could use a little more room."

"Don't do this for me," Blake protested. "I'm happy here if you are."

"I'm doing this for _us_," Ted iterated. "I've talked to Jennifer and she's going to look for houses for us."

Blake kissed his lips. "How did I ever get so lucky?"

"How did _I_ ever get so lucky?" Ted challenged.

Laughing, they fell into a comfortable, loving embrace.

* * *

Emmett sat on the couch, tapping his feet nervously on the floor. He was trying to call his dad, but he hadn't gotten an answer for the last hour. Where could his dad be? He wasn't even supposed to be up moving around.

Emmett slammed the phone down and hit the Redial button. The phone rang a few times and then finally, an answer!

"Hello?"

"Daddy!"

"Oh, hey, Emmett."

"Where have you been? I've been calling and calling for the last hour!"

Thomas was silent for a minute. "I was out."

"You're not supposed to be out!"

"Emmett, I'm sorry, but I'm going out of my mind being cooped up in the house like this. I'm fine, really. I feel good as new."

"Yeah? Well you'll feel good as new when you get hurt again," Emmett said, hand on his hip.

"Look, I know you're worried, Emmett, but I'm an adult, I'm allowed to come and go as I please."

Emmett chewed his lip. His dad was right, it wasn't his place to tell his dad what to do. "I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head. What had he been thinking? "I just get so worried."

"I know you, son. But I'm fine. Really, I am."

"I know." Emmett smiled. "I just don't want to lose you."

"Hey, give me a little credit. I'm not that old," Thomas teased.

Emmett laughed. "No, you're not."

"Thank you for caring, though. It's nice to know that somewhere, someone cares whether I live or die."

"I do," Emmett confirmed. He ran a hand through his hair. "Well, now that you're better, why don't you come see Calvin and I for a week or something? We're dying for company."

"Maybe I will," Thomas considered. "I need to get out of the house and a trip to Pittsburgh could be nice. I'm sure it's a hell of a lot cooler up there than it is down here."

"A little," Emmett assured him, chuckling. "You'll love it here."

"I'm sure I will."

"And if you like it, we can keep the spare bedroom for you…" Emmett couldn't resist.

"You're not going to start that again, are you?" Thomas asked resignedly.

"I want you here. Is that so bad?"

"I guess not…."

"But?" Emmett pressed.

"Can I bring my girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend!"

Emmett dropped down dramatically onto the floor. Thomas's voice could be heard through the phone. "Emmett? Emmett? Are you there?"

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin enjoy Gay Mardi Gras.


	121. Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin travelled to Australia for Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Twenty

Over the course of the next few days, Justin could not stop thinking about the baby. Except of course, when he and Brian were busy entertaining themselves.

He called Daphne every day to check in. Turns out, Brianna was doing fine, better than fine, actually. She was doing great. And Daphne was over the moon. How could he deny her that happiness? She was Brianna's mother, after all. If the shoe were on the other foot, he'd want to spend as much time with the baby as humanly possible.

"Is she still sleeping well for you?" Justin asked, cradling the phone close to his ear.

"She's sleeping pretty well. I mean, she wakes me up in the middle of night, but not too often. I always pictured a baby keeping me up all night screaming, but not Bri. She's such an easy baby."

"Yeah, she is," Justin said, trying to keep the melancholy out of his voice. He missed the baby more than he'd ever imagined. How did Lindsay manage to survive when Gus was with them for the whole summer? He had a newfound respect for her.

"Justin, I know you miss her," Daphne continued.

"Yeah…"

"It's hard, but you've got to have fun. You're on vacation with Brian, the man you chased for five years! Remember when you would've killed to just go away with him?"

"Yeah, I do." Justin couldn't help the ghost of a smile that crept up. "You're right, I'm being a stick in the mud."

"Just learn to enjoy the time you and Brian have to yourselves, because we both know that the time will come when you won't be able to get two seconds alone together."

"Shoot me now."

"Now, go have fun, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye."

"Bye."

As Justin put his phone away, Brian came in with Rage in tow. They had gone out for a walk. "Wait until you see it out there," Brian said, scoffing.

"Did it start already?" Justin asked, frowning with disappointment. He didn't want to miss even a second of the day's festivities.

"Not yet, but if we want to catch everything, we'd better get out there."

"Give me two minutes," Justin said. "I have to go to the bathroom."

"You're not going to wear make-up or face paint or anything, are you?" Brian inquired.

"No. I really have to go the bathroom."

"Okay, I'll be waiting."

"I promise to hurry."

On their way to Oxford Street, they passed tons of people in bizarre costumes. "I guess we must be in the right place," Brian muttered, draping his arm around Justin's shoulder.

"And I thought Pride back home was crazy," Justin replied, laughing.

"You haven't seen anything yet."

"I can't wait. Maybe we'll see some celebrities while we're here."

"Like who?"

"I don't know. John Barrowman?" Justin suggested.

"Who's that?"

"He's that really hot guy from _Titans_."

"I've never seen it."

"Trust me, he is unbelievably gorgeous."

"I'll take your word for it," Brian said grumpily.

"Oh, come on. He's not cuter that you."

"That's what I wanted to hear." Brian kissed Justin on the cheek and squeezed his shoulder.

They made it to Oxford Street just as the show began. A troupe of women on motorcycles appeared at the far end of the street. "Those must be the Dykes on Bikes, right?"

"Yeah." Brian exhaled sharply. "Lindsay and Melanie would be in heaven."

"Jesus! How many are there?" Justin exclaimed, watching as the troupe kept passing by.

"About two hundred," Brian surmised.

"How can you tell?"

"I did my research."

"Really? Well what comes next?"

Justin's voice was drowned out by a loud explosion. For a second, Justin felt his heart rate increase. _Not again,_ he thought, holding onto Brian tighter.

"It's okay," Brian assured him. "It's just fireworks."

"Oh." Justin relaxed. Looking up at the rooftops, he could see the fireworks being launched. _They definitely go all out on this, don't they? _he mused.

"Are you okay?" Brian asked.

"Yeah." Justin blushed. "For a second I thought..."

"I know."

"But I'm fine now," Justin insisted. "I don't even know why it bothered me. I was fine on the Fourth of July."

"You were expecting them then," Brian reminded him. "And you did say the other day that one year anniversary of the bombing is coming up."

"It's today."

"One more thing to celebrate: I didn't lose you."

"I'll drink to that."

The Dykes on Bikes were followed by the real parade. The floats started to pass by. They were full of men and women in various states of undress; some in bathing suits, others in neck to toe body glitter and sequins. "I feel like I'm at _Cirque du Soleil,_" Brian muttered, sipping a beer. "I hate _Cirque du Soleil._"

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad," Justin argued. "I think it's kind of nice. Everybody being crazy and exotic. It's interesting."

"I suppose."

"You're the one who wanted to come here."

"I know." Brian rolled his eyes.

"Are you not having fun?" Justin asked, tearing his eyes away from the floats.

"I'm having a great time. I just think it's a bit strange as all."

"They don't call us queers for nothing."

"Very funny." Brian stroked the top of Justin's head.

A float passed by. On it were a group of men in Speedos. "Look at them," Justin exclaimed, grinning.

"Not bad," Brian agreed.

"Look at that one's pouch!" Justin blatantly pointed to the man on the back of the float. Even from their position down the street, Brian and Justin couldn't help but notice the huge bulge under the tight Speedo.

"That's got to be fake," Brian said, shaking his head. "It doesn't look right."

"Fake? You mean like a rubber dick?" Justin laughed, a little buzzed from the beer.

"No, I mean like a sock stuffed in there."

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"Do you want to bet?" Brian arched a challenging eyebrow.

"Yeah." Justin nodded.

Brian peered at Justin skeptically. "How are we going to find out for sure?" he asked.

"One of us will go and talk to him after the show's done."

"And you're just going to walk up ask him? 'Hey, is your dick real?' Now who's being ridiculous?"

"We won't ask. We'll see it for ourselves." Justin grinned devilishly.

"How do you intend to do that?"

"We'll flirt with him and tell him we want to have a three-way." Justin laughed. "But we want to see how big it is beforehand."

"I guess I really have been a bad influence on you all these years," Brian joked. "This doesn't even sound like you."

"I know I'm right and I'm going to prove it."

"All right, but no touching. Looking only."

"I promise." The float passed by and Justin caught the guy's eye. The guy grinned and Justin winked. "I think that got his attention."

"I'd say so."

The parade continued and the Chief of Parade was announced. "The Chief or Parade for the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2006 is..." the announcer paused for dramatic effect. "Connor James!" The crowd cheered wildly and Justin turned to Brian, eyes wide. "I didn't know Connor James was here!"

"I guess you were right about seeing a celebrity today."

"Once you fuck a celebrity, they're never the same," Justin told him.

"Was he better than me?" Brian teased.

"No one is better than you."

"Good answer."

"He was actually a pretty lousy lay." Justin laughed. "Oh, there he is."

The float with the Chief of Parade on it passed by and Justin got a great view of Connor James. "He gets hotter and hotter all the time!"

"Why don't you ask him for his autograph?" Brian joked. "Maybe a blow job, too."

"Don't tell me you're jealous!" Justin turned and looked Brian in the eye.

"Of course not. Why would I be jealous of him? He may be a movie star, but I can guarantee I have hotter sex."

"Aw." Justin rolled his eyes.

"Or do I?" Brian teased.

"Trust me, he can't compare to you."

"I didn't realize we were competing," Brian said innocently.

"You're not."

"Good answer, Sunshine." He pulled Justin closer and held him tight.

A few hours later, the show was winding down. They had followed the parade from Oxford Street onto Flinders Street and finally came to a stop in a bus lane that ran parallel to Anzac Parade. "Well that was certainly...eye opening," Brian commented, watching as the crowds slowly dispersed and the cleanup began.

"We should come every year," Justin suggested. "Don't you think? It would be amazing."

"I thought you wanted to stay home for a while."

"I do, but not for the rest of our lives." He playfully swatted Brian's arm. "You know exactly what I mean. I think we should take a break until the summer. Most likely, we'll be packing up and going to New York for a few weeks and I think it would be fun to stay home for a while. Now that we have a baby, we can't just go on these trips all the time."

"Yeah," Brian agreed.

"We can save trips like this for the special occasions like our anniversary and birthdays."

"Speaking of anniversaries," Brian said, turning to Justin. "Ours is coming up in two months."

"I can't believe it's been a year already."

"It's certainly been one hell of a year.

"Do you have any regrets?" Justin asked seriously.

"Not one," Brian answered simply. "You?"

"Nope. I wouldn't change a thing."

They were just about to turn and head back to the hotel when Justin spotted the guy in the Speedo. "There he is," he hissed.

"The stuffer," Brian said, laughing.

"Are we going to settle this once and for all or what?"

"Lead on."

"I will.

"Wait." Brian pulled Justin back. "Why don't we make this a little more exciting?"

"How?"

"We could make it an official bet."

"What do I get if I win?"

"What do you want?" Brian grinned mischievously.

"If I win," Justin mused. "You have to pick up after Rage for a whole week."

"Okay." Brian sighed.

"What about you?"

"I don't know." Brian stroked his chin pensively. "I'll decide that when I win."

Justin laughed. "You're a little too cocky, don't you think?"

"Not all. If there's one thing I'm an expert at, it's dicks."

"I can't argue with that."

"And you still want to challenge me?"

"I know quite a few things about dicks myself."

"So I take it you're not going to back down, then?"

"Not in your dreams, Kinney."

"Fine. Let's go find out for ourselves. And when I win, you're going to wish you would've just forfeited."

"Yeah right." Justin scoffed.

The man in question was helping clean up the glitter and trash residue on the street. "He's going to clean up dressed like that?" Justin whispered.

"That's one way to get cruised."

"God, he must be desperate."

"Or really horny."

"Or both." They chuckled as they approached him.

"Hey," Justin said amicably.

"Hey." The man's eyes darted over Brian quickly then settled on Justin. _No doubt who he prefers,_ Brian thought.

"Need some help?" Justin asked innocently.

"Sure. Everyone else is working in teams, but my partner wasn't able to come tonight." His voice was higher than normal, not quite feminine, but not entirely masculine either.

"So, you're here alone?"

"Yep." The guy smiled at Justin. "I'm Kirk." He extended a hand.

"Justin." Justin shook Kirk's hand. "This is my husband, Brian."

"Hey." Brian nodded and lit up a cigarette.

Kirk turned a disapproving eye on Brian. "Can you not do that here? Thanks."

"Sorry." Brian rolled his eyes at Justin as he took a few steps back, blowing a cloud of smoke in Kirk's direction.

"I couldn't help but notice you up there on the float," Justin said, helping Kirk pick up some debris from a piñata.

"Really?" Kirk looked over at Brian. Justin followed his gaze.

"We have an open relationship," he lied, smiling encouragingly.

"Oh?" Kirk laughed. "So do I."

"Do you want to hook up? Brian and I were thinking of trying something a little different. We've never been here before."

"I'm sure that could be arranged." Kirk stepped closer to Justin so that their faces were only a few centimeters apart.

Brian felt a cold stab of jealousy in his stomach. Clenching his jaw, he willed himself to stay put. As soon as Justin got what he wanted, they would be on their way. Justin wanted nothing to do with this loser. Right? Justin laughed and ran his hands down Kirk's washboard abs. Brian had to look the other way. "But before we do, there's something I have to see," he continued, giggling.

"What did you have in mind?" Kirk asked.

Justin didn't answer, only slid his hands down the front of Kirk's Speedo. A few seconds later, he pulled out a rubber dick. Peering over his shoulder, Brian snickered. Kirk's face flushed a deep shade of scarlet. "Hey!" he exclaimed, grabbing the dick and shoving it back inside his Speedo.

"I'm sorry," Justin said earnestly. "I had no idea."

"Come on," Brian said, putting a possessive arm around Justin and steering him away. "We'd better be getting back to the hotel."

"Hey!" Kirk called after them angrily. Brian and Justin erupted into laughter.

"I guess I won," Brian muttered, biting his lip to keep from laughing.

"I guess so." Justin sighed. "I cannot believe that! Was he a tranny? Or what? If so, they did a good job. I couldn't tell that he wasn't a man..."

"You should've known better than to question the master. Did you learn your lesson?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Justin looked up at Brian. "So what's your prize for winning?"

"I haven't decided yet," Brian replied. "Any suggestions?"

"How about a blow job? That's nice and simple."

"Nah, I'm in the mood for something a little more..." Brian heard a familiar sound and grinned.

"More what?"

"More romantic."

"You? Romantic?"

"Listen." Brian held up a hand for silence.

"What?" Justin asked.

Across the street, a street musician was starting to play "Save the Last Dance For Me." Brian smiled. "Wanna dance?" he asked.

"You're kidding, right!" Justin laughed in disbelief. They were going to dance right there in the middle of Flinders Street?

"Not at all. Come on." He took Justin's hand and led him into the middle of the street. The musician nodded and started to play a little louder.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Justin muttered, resting his head on Brian's should as they slowly swayed to the music. "What is it with you and this song anyway?"

"Let's just say it brings back memories," Brian replied, lowering Justin into a dip. Laughing, he raised him up and leaned down, covering Justin's mouth with his. He couldn't be happier.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Ted and Blake look at houses. Emmett gets a pleasant surprise.


	122. White

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Ted decided to start looking for a bigger place to live.

Emmett pondered his dream of owning his own clothing store.

The guys promised to make time for each other despite their hectic schedules.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-One

"Wake up, sleepy head," Ted whispered in Blake's ear, gently stroking his cheek. Blake stirred and opened his eyes.

"What time is it?" he asked, putting the pillow over his head.

"Ten thirty," Ted answered, tugging the pillow away.

"Look, Ted, I was up late last night and I really need to catch up on my sleep."

"I promise it will be worth your while," Ted sang, grinning.

"What will be worth my while?" Blake asked.

"We're going house hunting."

"House hunting?" Blake laughed. "You're kidding, right?"

"I've never been more serious. The place looks perfect. Now, come on, get up and in the shower. We have a showing to go to in," he looked at his watch, "twenty-five minutes."

Blake––suddenly wide awake––jumped out of bed and hurried into the bathroom, barely stopping to take his clothes off before he hopped in the shower. "I take it you're excited?" Ted asked, following him into the bathroom.

"A little," Blake confessed, shouting to be heard over the roar of the shower.

"I thought you would be."

"You found a place already?" Blake queried. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, but I thought it would take a while."

"I know." Ted nodded. "I haven't seen the place in person yet, but Jennifer assures me it's a good bargain. Of course, we can't make a decision right away. We have to see what else is out there."

"I understand." Blake laughed. "I'm kind of in shock. I guess I never thought we'd leave this place."

"Now that I've gotten a promotion and the club is doing well again, I can afford a house. A nice house."

"So you're selling the condo?"

"If we find a nice house somewhere, yes."

Blake turned the water off and reached out for a towel. Ted handed him one and watched as he dried himself off. "We're not going to go too far," he continued.

"I didn't think we would. You told me you'd never leave Pittsburgh."

"I meant not too far from Liberty Avenue," Ted clarified. "Even though I'm forty, I'm not ready to give it up completely. For the past twenty years, Liberty Avenue has been my home. It means too much to me."

"Besides," Blake added. "There's still Babylon. You can't just leave it behind."

"Not without a manager, and after last time, I've grown wary or managers."

"Good idea." Blake laughed. He threw on some clothes and brushed his teeth. "Ready?" he asked.

"Ready."

They got in the car and as soon as they were on the road, Ted's cell phone rang. "Hello?" he answered, not bothering to see who was calling.

"Hey, Teddy." It was Emmett.

"Oh. Hey, Em."

"What are you doing today?"

"Blake and I are going to look at some houses," Ted answered, stopping at a stoplight.

"You are? I thought you and your condo were inseparable?"

"We were––once––but times change. Blake and I are constantly running into each other––not in the good way––and we have no privacy. It's time to move out."

"Good for you, Teddy. Do you want me to come by and help you house hunt? I bet I could find you a fabulous place."

Ted smiled. "Thanks, Em, but I was kind of looking forward to just spending the day with Blake. No offense."

"No, I understand." Emmett was quiet for a second. Obviously he did not understand. "Well, when you pick a place, let me know. I want to be your first guest."

"Em," Ted began, feeling bad. He hadn't meant to hurt Emmett's feelings.

"Listen, I have to go. I want to call and check up on my dad. I'll talk to you later, Teddy."

"Bye, Em."

"Bye."

Ted frowned as he put his phone back in his pocket. "Is everything okay?" Blake asked, picking up on Ted's distress.

"No." Ted sighed loudly.

"What happened?"

"I think I hurt Emmett's feelings. He wanted to know if he could come with us to go look at the houses."

"And you told him no."

"Yeah."

"I'm sure he understands," Blake soothed.

"I don't know. He's used to it being just the two of us, but now that you and I are together and he and I are spending less and less time together..."

"You think he's upset."

"Can you blame him? He's not the only one to notice it. Last week, we all went out to lunch and Michael pointed out that we hardly ever hang out anymore. If we do, it's only a couple of us, there's always someone missing."

"Maybe you guys should make an effort to meet up at least once a week and hang out," Blake suggested.

"I'd like to, but with all of our hectic schedules, it's impossible. Between my new responsibilities at work, running the club, and wanting to spend time with you, I'm stretched pretty thin. Emmett's working all the time and spending time with Calvin. Michael's juggling college, running the comic store, writing his novel, and being a husband and father. Brian and Justin are taking care of a baby and working. The worst part is we promised each other that we would never let this happen."

Blake reached out and squeezed Ted's hand comfortingly. "Ted, you don't have to worry about spending time with me. I know how important your friends are to you. I'd never forgive myself if you neglected them to be with me."

"But..."

"No buts. We live together. Just having you there when I get home or in the bed next to me is enough."

"I love you," Ted said, unable to fight back a smile.

"I love you, too." Blake smiled reassuringly. "So, you're going to fix things with your friends, right?"

"Yes," Ted relented. "But first, can we go look at that house?"

"Sure."

From the outside, the house was everything that Ted could ever want: light brick, beautiful gardens on all four sides of the house, a nice, cement patio, and a three and a half car garage. Supposedly the house had three bedrooms, two and a half baths, a basement, a foyer, and a living room. He was in heaven. At least, he was until they went inside. As soon as he stepped over the threshold, Ted was blinded. _What the hell?_ he thought, raising his hand to shield his eyes. Everything in the house was white: white walls, white carpeting, white furniture, white appliances, white ceramic tile. Ted felt like he'd just stepped into a room devoid of color. And he didn't like it.

The owner of the house, a petite blonde woman in her early forties came down the stairs. "Hi!" she said excitedly. Ted could tell already that he wasn't going to like her. She was too perky.

"Hi," he replied with less enthusiasm. "I'm Ted Schmidt and this is my partner Blake Wyzecki."

"Hey." Blake smiled warmly.

"I'm Idina Tyler." Idina laughed shrilly. "You two are the just the cutest thing I ever did see!" She had a slight southern accent that Ted imagined had come from being raised in the south. Too bad it hadn't gone away when she'd moved north.

"Thanks." He forced himself to smile.

"You're here to look at the house?"

"Yes, we are. We're just waiting for the relator to get here."

The front door opened and Jennifer came in, breathless. "Sorry I'm late," she gasped. "Molly left the door open and the dog got out. I spent the last fifteen minutes chasing him through the neighborhood."

"Are you all right?" Ted asked.

"I'm fine. Just a little winded is all."

"I'll get you a glass of water," Idina offered, hurrying into the kitchen. She was back in a few seconds with three glasses.

"Thanks," Jennifer said, downing the contents of the glass in a few gulps.

"Well, now that everyone's here," Idina announced. "Why don't we go through a tour of the house?"

"Sounds good to me." Ted started to follow Idina into the living room, but she cleared her throat loudly and looked down at his shoes. "Oh, sorry," he apologized, taking his shoes off.

"It's okay. It's just with the white carpet, we can't afford any stains." She laughed again and waited patiently for Blake and Jennifer to remove their shoes.

As they went from room to room, Ted realized that everything in the house was white. There wasn't a single thing that had even the slightest hue of color. It disturbed him tremendously. How could someone stand to live in a house where everything was white? He certainly couldn't. Although, he and Blake could always repaint everything...but that would take time and money that he wasn't willing to invest in a house. Not unless Blake liked it.

Idina showed around the whole house and when they got back into the foyer, she smiled and clasped her hands in front of her. "So, what do you think?" she asked, glancing between Ted and Blake.

"Uh...it's very nice," Ted lied, nodding his head.

"It's beautiful," Blake agreed. "Everything's so...white!" He laughed.

"White is my favorite color. When we had this place built, I said to my husband Sebastian: 'We should make everything white. That way, when the sun shines in, it'll be blinding!"

"It certainly was blinding," Ted muttered, scratching his ear.

"So, are you guys interested?"

"Uh..." Ted looked over at Blake helplessly.

"We're considering it," Blake lied smoothly. "As we said, it's a very nice house. To be honest though, we're looking for something a little smaller."

"Smaller?"

"Well it's just the two of us," Ted explained. "We really don't need three bedrooms."

"But we could always turn the bedrooms into something else."

"Good idea. I like your way of thinking." Idina chuckled again.

Jennifer looked at her watch. "I have an appointment in ten minutes across town," she said hinting.

"Yeah, we'd better get going. It was nice meeting you." Ted shook Idina's hand again.

"It was a pleasure meeting all of you," Idina replied, shaking Blake and Jennifer's hands. "If you decide you want to buy it, just let us know."

"We will," Ted promised, gently nudging Blake out the door. When they were at the cars, he said, "Wow."

"Yeah," Jennifer agreed.

"I thought she was nice," Blake admitted.

"She was. But she was also a little crazy," Ted replied.

"So, I take it you're not interested?" Jennifer asked, setting her purse in the car.

"Are we?" Ted turned a quizzical eye on Blake.

"Maybe?" he said helplessly.

"Give it some thought. There are plenty of houses for sale in Pittsburgh."

"Thanks for doing this, Jennifer."

"It's my job." Jennifer smiled and got into her car. "I'll see you guys later."

"Bye." Ted and Blake watched her drive away before they got in the car.

They decided to go to the Liberty Diner for lunch. Neither of them had eaten anything yet and they were both starting. As usual for the time of day, the diner was packed with the lunchtime crowd even though it was a weekend. Luckily, they found two empty stools by the counter and sat down. Debbie saw them and came over. "Hey, boys!" she said, grinning.

"Hey," Ted grumbled.

"Hi, Deb," Blake replied, more enthusiastically.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked Ted, leaning on the counter for support. "You look like your cock stopped working."

"No, it's nothing like that." Ted sighed. "Blake and I just got back from a showing."

"A showing? Showing what?"

"A house."

"Oh, good for you!"

"Yeah, except that it was total disaster! The lady who owned the house was insane, and everything in it was white."

Deb arched an eyebrow. "That's all?" she asked, chewing her gum thoughtfully.

"What more is there to say?" Ted demanded.

"Well, it just seems to me that you're getting upset over nothing. If that were me, I'd be laughing my ass off about the whole thing, not here sulking."

"Have you seen Emmett?"

"Yeah, he was in here about an hour ago. He seemed to be in a good mood."

"He was?"

"Uh huh. He said something about hanging out with Michael."

"Oh, that's good to know." Ted could stop feeling guilty if Emmett wasn't hurt. He smiled. "Thanks, Deb."

"What for?" she asked, knitting her brow.

"For being you."

* * *

Emmett and Michael strolled down Liberty Avenue together. "We have to do something," Michael said. "We're all going our separate ways and I don't like it."

"Neither do I, sweetie, but what can we do?" Emmett asked. "We're all so busy with work and our married lives that we don't have time for each other anymore."

"Well, we'll just have to figure out how to make time," Michael said determinedly.

"Have you talked to Teddy today?"

"No. I haven't talked to him since lunch last week, why?"

"He and Blake are out looking at a house."

"Really?" Michael frowned.

"Yeah. Apparently the condo is getting too small for them. I offered to come along and help, but he said that he was looking forward to it just being the two of them."

Michael put a comforting hand on Emmett's shoulder. "Emmett, you can't be mad at Ted for that. Blake's his husband. That doesn't mean that he loves you any less."

"I'm not angry," Emmett insisted. "I was a little hurt at first, I admit, but you're right. Teddy and I are just friends, that doesn't mean that I get to control him. He has his own life and so do I. I'm just used to he and I always doing everything together, you know? You have Brian, I have Teddy." He sighed forlornly. "Correction: I _had_ Teddy."

"We're going to fix this," Michael assured him. "Things are crazy right now in all or our lives, but we'll get through it. We'll make time for each other and things will go back to the way they were. You'll see."

"When did you become so optimistic?"

"I guess Ben's been rubbing off on me." Michael laughed.

"Thanks, Michael," Emmett said sincerely. "No matter what happens, I know that I can always count on you."

"And I can always count on you."

They continued down the street until they passed Torso, the store that Emmett used to work at. "Hold on a second," Emmett said, freezing.

"What?" Michael asked, looking past Emmett to the shop. "You want to go in?"

"No, look." Emmett pointed at the front window. There was a small FOR SALE sign.

"Torso's going out of business?" Michael shrugged. "I can't say that I'm surprised. If it weren't for _Rage _being so popular, I doubt my comic store would still be open."

"Uh huh." Emmett wasn't really listening to Michael anymore, his mind was miles away. His dream of having his own clothing store came flashing back to him. It had been a good year for him business-wise. Joanne Black had recommended him to all of her friends and he had easily made more than he'd ever made before in a previous job.

"Emmett?" Michael waved his hand in front of Emmett's eyes. "Are you listening?"

"Sorry, sweetie, I blanked out for a second." Emmett pulled a piece of paper out of his messenger bag and fishing a pen out of his pocket, scrawled down the number on the FOR SALE sign.

"What are you doing?" Michael asked. He quirked an eyebrow.

"I am writing down the number so that I can buy this place," Emmett answered triumphantly.

"What!?" Michael laughed in disbelief.

"You know that I've always wanted to open my own shop," Emmett explained. "With Torso gone, I now have the perfect site."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? The economy isn't so good these days."

"Oh, Michael, always such a pessimist." Emmett shook his head. "Let's keep walking."

"Okay." Michael didn't know what to say. He was still trying to wrap his mind around Emmett's sudden revelation.

Finally, he thought of something to say. "So, Ted and Blake are looking for houses, huh?"

"Yeah. God knows there are enough of them for sale in Pittsburgh."

"I know." Michael grinned.

"What are you smiling about?" Emmett asked suspiciously.

"Emmett, there's a house for sale a few blocks from me. It would be perfect for them!"

"You're kidding!?" Emmett grinned broadly.

"Nope." Michael laughed. "Eli and Monty told me about it. Supposedly it's going for pretty cheap, too."

"Can you picture Teddy living there?"

"You have no idea."

Emmett hatched an idea. "I'm going to assume that Jennifer is their agent. Let's give her a call and see what we can't do about getting them there." He put his arm around Michael and laughed.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin return home and settle back into their normal lives.


	123. Back Home

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin went to Sydney for Gay Mardi Gras. There, they wagered on the reality of the size of a guy's package and Brian won.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Two

As Brian and Justin made their way through the Liberty Airlines airport, Brian couldn't help but feel relieved to be home. While he loved traveling and seeing new places, he also liked being home where he knew his friends were just a half an hour away and he could see them anytime he wanted. Also, while he wouldn't admit it, he had been a little worried about Brianna. She was still so little and it had felt strange being hours away from her. He couldn't wait to see her again and hold her close, breathing in her beautiful scent.

Justin lugged the dog carrier, a trembling Rage inside. "You know," he said, sighing with exasperation. "The next time we decide to go away for a while, I think we should definitely leave Rage at home. He's a little bit too much to handle on a vacation."

"That's probably a good idea," Brian replied. "I was getting sick of taking him out to go to the bathroom all the time."

"Then why didn't you say something?" Justin asked. "I would've taken him out."

"I wanted you safe," Brian explained. "Who knows what mischief you might've gotten up to if I let you out of my sight?"

"Oh, so you were doing me a favor?" Justin sidled closer to Brian.

"Mm-hmm."

"I guess I owe you a thanks, then."

"Yeah, you do."

Justin brushed his lips against Brian's lightly, teasing him. Brian grabbed the back of Justin's head and pulled him closer, crushing their lips together. Justin set the dog carrier down as he draped his arms over Brian's shoulders, everything forgotten. When the kiss finally broke, both of their lips were tingling. "We should probably keep walking," Justin said, laughing.

"Probably." The airport was semi-busy and people were pushing past them hurriedly. "Obviously everyone's in too much of a hurry to remember their fucking manners."

"It's good to be home." Laughing, they put their arms around each other and continued out to the parking lot.

They hadn't brought much baggage with them, just a small bag each and the dog carrier for Rage. Justin set the dog carrier in the back seat of the Jeep and got into the passenger seat. Even though Brian had bought the car for him, when they took it out, he was usually the one to drive it. Justin didn't mind though, it gave him an opportunity to just relax and snuggle up against Brian. Two of his favorite things. "Did you call Daphne and let her know that we're coming by to pick up Brianna tonight?" Brian asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

"I called her this morning. She said that she'd have everything set to go. Hopefully she won't give us any trouble when we try to leave."

"I'm sure she'll be fine. She's getting the baby next weekend. That should be enough to keep from having another breakdown."

"I hope so," Justin said. "I always feel so bad. Like we're taking her kid away from her."

"It's just going to take some getting used to," Brian assured him. "We'll all learn a thing or two."

"Yeah, you're right." Justin turned to look out the window. He had missed Pittsburgh while they'd been away. He missed living there. Not that he was unhappy in West Virginia, Pittsburgh just held a special place in his heart. He was looking forward to coming back to work and being able to see all of his friends once the he and Brian decided to hire the nanny.  
When they got to Daphne's apartment building, they stayed in the car. "Let's give her a few minutes," Brian advised. "We don't want her to feel like we're rushing her."

"Okay." Justin unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned back in the seat. "Hopefully Brianna hasn't changed too much while we were away," he said. "If I don't get a good night's sleep tonight, I am going to be miserable tomorrow."

"Me, too." Brian rubbed his eyes. "That's the downside of traveling. We're always so goddamn tired when we get home."

"I guess it's a good thing that we're taking a break then, huh?" Justin asked, smiling innocently at Brian.

"Yeah, I suppose." Brian reached over and put his hand on Justin's cheek, lovingly stroking the soft skin. He felt stupid for being jealous when he had seen Justin and Kirk flirting. It had been his idea in the first place to approach Kirk, but seeing Justin flirt with someone else, even if it wasn't heartfelt had torn him up inside. Before Justin, he'd never even known what jealousy felt like.

After a few minutes of waiting, Justin called Daphne and told her that they were there. "We'll be right up," he said.

"Okay. Do you want me to bring everything down to the lobby?" Daphne asked.

"No, that's okay. We'll come up. You shouldn't have to lug everything down."

"Okay, if you insist." Daphne laughed. "Bye."

"Bye." Justin hung up and threw the phone on the seat. "Ready?" he asked Brian, reaching for the door handle.

"Let's go." Brian opened his door and followed Justin inside.

"There's definitely one thing I didn't miss about this place," Justin mused.

"And what would that be?"

"This shitty weather. I'll take the Sydney weather any day."

"It's almost over now," Brian reminded. "In a month or so, it'll be summer."

"And then we can look forward to blistering heat."

"Heat's better than snow."

"Stop being so nonchalant," Justin teased. "It's unbecoming." Brian snickered.

Climbing up the six flights of stairs to Daphne's floor, Brian and Justin raced to the top. It was a little juvenile, but it was fun and that was what mattered. As they neared the last floor, Brian purposely caught his shoe on the step and stumbled, giving Justin just enough time to squeeze in front of him before he recovered. "I won!" Justin cried, laughing.

"Rematch," Brian teased.

"Oh, no. I won fair and square."

"Fine. You won. Do you want a cookie or a cracker?"

"How about a three hour fuck?" Justin suggested, grinning devilishly.

"I think that could be arranged," Brian considered, clapping Justin on the shoulder. "But first, we have to get the baby and get home."

"All right," Justin agreed resignedly.

Brian knocked lightly on Daphne's door. "It's open," Daphne called from the other side. Justin opened the door and was delighted to see Daphne and Brianna on the floor in the living room. "Hey," he said, grinning.

"Hey." Daphne waved enthusiastically. "You're tan again."

"All over," Brian informed her.

"Good to know." Daphne laughed. "Did you guys have fun?"

"It was crazy!" Justin sat down next to Daphne and the baby. "You should've seen it, Daph, it was just like that Cyndi Lauper song, 'True Colors.' There were people there every color of the rainbow."

"It sounds exciting!"

"It was. Guess who we saw there?"

"Uh...Cyndi Lauper?"

"No, unfortunately."

"Rosie O'Donnell?"

"More famous."

"Ellen DeGeneres?"

Justin shook his head. "It was a guy," he supplied, taking Brianna from Daphne and kissing her cheek.

"Uh...Anthony Rapp?"

"He had dark hair."

"John Barrowman?" Justin shot a triumphant look at Brian.

"I'm going to go get the car packed up," he announced gathering as much of the baby's things as he could into his arms.

"So, who was it?" Daphne pressed, practically bouncing with excitement. "You have to tell me. It's killing me now!"

"Okay." Justin laughed. "Connor James."

"Get out!" Daphne giggled.

"It's the truth," Justin insisted.

"You two know each other pretty well, did you go talk to him? See how things are doing?"

"He left right after the festival," Justin answered. "There wasn't time."

"Shit!"

"I know!'

Brian came back in and shut the door behind him. "Are you kids having fun?" he asked, snidely, sitting next to Justin.

"Justin was telling me about your celebrity spotting," Daphne said. "That must've been exciting."

"I guess." Brian shrugged.

"Oh, come on, tell me you weren't the least bit thrilled," Justin challenged.

"Not really. If you've seen one celebrity, you've seen them all."

"He's too cavalier for his own good," Justin whispered, leaning in toward Daphne conspiratorially.

"I can tell."

"How's my princess?" Brian asked, stroking one of Brianna's tiny little knuckles.

"She's great. I'm sure that if she could talk, she'd tell you how much fun she had here with her mommy. Wouldn't you, honey?" Daphne grinned down at the baby.

"Has she been sleeping well?" Justin inquired, suddenly all business.

"Justin, we talked every day on the phone. You know how she's been sleeping."

"Sorry, it's just a habit, I guess." Justin laughed. "I'm glad she's sleeping like she should. She never keeps Brian and I up."

"Like you're sleeping anyway." Daphne quirked an eyebrow.

Brian cleared his throat. "We should probably get going soon," he announced.

"You can't stay?" Daphne asked forlornly.

"We can't," Justin confirmed. "The dog's waiting for us out in the car."

"Oh, yeah." Daphne frowned. "You don't want him messing in your car."

"We don't?" Brian queried snidely.

"No." Justin smacked Brian on the chest. "Quit being so grumpy."

"Sorry," Brian said, looking Daphne in the eye.

"It's okay." Daphne blushed. "I'm sure you guys are tired."

"You have no idea," Justin groaned. "What is it about travel that makes you so tired? I'm so glad that Brian and I decided to take a break from all that."

"You have?"

"Yeah."

"That's...good."

"Well, we're most likely going to be spending a month or so in New York this summer, and I don't want to be constantly on the go. I'm looking forward to spending some time with my guy and the baby at home."

"That sounds nice." Daphne smiled.

Brianna started to fuss. "What's wrong, Bri?" Justin asked, rocking her back and forth gently in his arms.

"She's probably hungry," Daphne said. "It's been a few hours since I fed her."

"I guess I'll have to feed her on the way home."

"I'm sorry." Daphne got to her feet. "You guys said you wanted to head out and I've been holding you captive."

"We don't mind," Justin assured her.

"Well, in this case, you should. I'm going to stop talking now." Daphne laughed embarrassedly.

"Let's go, then," Justin said, standing up. Brian handed him the baby's coat. "It's your weekend to have Brianna next week."

"It is?"

"Yeah. Unless you don't want her."

"No, I want her!" Daphne exclaimed. "I'm glad."

"Okay then. We'll see you next Friday."

"Okay." Daphne took a step closer to Justin and reached out, gently stroking Brianna's hair. "Bye, honey," she whispered, her voice even.

"Say bye to mommy," Justin whispered. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked Daphne.

"I'll be fine," Daphne insisted. "Now you guys go before Rage pees on the seats."

"Bye, Daph," Justin gave her an awkward hug, not wanting to crush the baby.

"Bye, Daphne." Brian smiled tightly.

"Bye, guys." She watched them round the corner and shut the door when they were out of sight.

Down at the car, Justin hooked the car seat into its base. "I feel bad for her," he said.

"She'll be okay," Brian assured him.

"Eventually, but what about until then?"

"She'll...watch a movie or something." Brian sighed. "She has to get used to this."

"I know."

"At least she didn't cry this time."

"Yeah. That would've been too much. I probably would've felt so guilty that I would've let her keep the baby."

"Well, we can't have that."

"No, we can't." Justin got into the back seat and pulled a bottle out of the diaper bag. "Shit," he muttered, wanting to smack himself.

"What?" Brian asked, turning around to see what the problem was.

"How are we going to heat up the formula?"

"I'm sure Daphne will let you use her microwave."

"Is that okay?"

"Do we have a choice?"

Justin got out of the car and rushed back inside. Daphne was on her way out when he got to her floor. "Hey, I didn't expect to see you so soon," she said, taking in Justin's breathless state. "Did you forget something?"

"Can I use your microwave?" Justin panted, hunching over and clutching his knees.

"Sure."

"We need to heat up the formula," he explained.

"Right." Daphne laughed. "Good idea."

"Thanks, Daph." Daphne unlocked the door. "Will you make sure it's locked when you go?"

"Sure." Justin started to go inside. "Daph?"

"Yeah?" Daphne turned toward him.

"If you don't mind my asking, where are you going?"

"My parents' house." Daphne frowned.

"Oh. Have fun."

"Thanks. See ya."

"Bye."

Justin heated the formula up and hurried back down the car. Brianna was still crying. "Here you go, honey," he said, putting the nipple of the bottle in her mouth. He'd tested it on his way down to the car.

"All set?" Brian asked.

"Yep. Let's go home."

"Sure thing." Smiling in the rearview mirror, Brian pulled the Jeep back into traffic.

"I can't wait to get home," Justin moaned, yawning. "I just want to crawl into bed and sleep for a week."

"I thought you wanted me to fuck you for three hours straight," Brian reminded him.

"After a nap," Justin decided. "That is, of course, unless you want me to fall asleep while you're pounding away."

"Nah, I could use a nap, too."

"If she'll let us take one," Justin mumbled.

"Why would she be any different?"

"Going back and forth between us and Daphne is probably having some effect on her."

"I hope she doesn't cry all night, I have to go to work tomorrow."

"You do?"

"Unfortunately. The Ponds are back and they want to meet me. I don't even see why. Ted's the one that won them over."

"But you own the company. You're still the boss."

When they got back to the house, they unloaded the Jeep and went in. "Oh, home sweet home," Justin whispered, smiling.

"Get used to it," Brian said. "You're not going to be leaving it anytime soon."

"Says who?"

"Well, you're not going to school anymore, you're working from home for now, where could you possibly go?"

"Somewhere," Justin said, grinning mischievously. "Let's go upstairs."

"Lead the way."

They went upstairs. Brian took their bags into the bedroom while Justin took the baby into the nursery. "Are you glad to be home, Bri?" he asked, setting her down in the basinet. In response, the baby gurgled. "I'll take that as a yes." Smiling, he went back into the bedroom. Brian was getting undressed. "I'm going to put her down for a nap," Justin announced.

"I'll do it," Brian offered.

"No, that's okay. You just stay here and keep the bed warm."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll be right back." Justin kissed Brian's cheek.

"Hurry up," Brian growled, crawling into bed.

Justin went back into the nursery and sat down next to the basinet until Brianna fell asleep. When he was sure that she was fully out, Justin crept back into the bedroom. He got into bed and turned to Brian. "Brian?" he whispered. Looking over, he saw that Brian was asleep. Smiling, he got under the covers and moved closer to Brian, grabbing his arm and fastening it around his waist. Justin, perfectly content, fell asleep in Brian's arms.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk:** Ted and Blake continued their search for the perfect house. Michael gets closer to finishing his novel.


	124. Mission: Accomplished

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** With his new raise, Ted set out to find the perfect house for him and Blake.

Emmett found out that Torso was going out of business and pondered buying it.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Three

After nearly a week of looking at houses, Ted was already about to give up. He and Blake had looked at numerous houses and had yet to find one that either one could imagine living in. They lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling dejectedly. "That one we looked at the other day wasn't so bad," Blake mused, ever the optimist.

"Not unless you count the fact there was a huge crack in the basement wall that leaks when it rains."

"Yeah. The basement did smell really moldy."

"Are there no decent houses in Pittsburgh?" Ted grumbled.

"Well, if we don't find one, we can always stay here," Blake reminded him.

"And be crammed in here like a couple of sardines? I'd rather not."

"Is it really that bad being crammed in here with me?" Blake teased.

"No." Ted gave Blake a peck on the cheek.

They were silent for a few minutes, thinking. "What about that house we looked at last weekend?" Ted said finally.

"The one with the mice running around in the living room?"

"Yeah." Ted laughed. "That was a trip."

"Or the one with all of those bedrooms? That place was a castle!"

"I liked that one."

"Too bad we couldn't afford it."

"That was pretty much the only one I've even considered so far."

"Idina's house wasn't so bad, it you can get over the creepy white thing she has going on."

"I'd be afraid to buy it," Ted confessed. "What if we messed something up?" They started to laugh uncontrollably.

The phone ringing killed their laughter. "I wonder who that could be," Ted mumbled as he reached over to the bedside stand.

"If it's one of your friends, you'd better go out and do something with them," Blake said with finality.

"I will." Ted rolled his eyes before answering the phone. "Hello?"

"Ted?" It was Jennifer.

"Hey. Another house?"

"I'm afraid so." Jennifer laughed softly. "Something tells me you're going to like this one."

"That's what you've said about the last three houses."

"I have a _really _good feeling about this one," Jennifer pressed.

Sighing, Ted grabbed a piece of paper out of his drawer. "Okay. What's the address?" Jennifer gave it to him.

"Do you have it?" she asked.

"Yeah. What time?"

"Half hour?"

"We'll be there."

"Okay. See you then."

"Thanks, Jennifer."

"You're welcome." Ted put the phone back in its cradle.

"Another showing?" Blake asked.

"Unfortunately."

"If you don't want to go, why didn't you just tell her that?"

"Because she's doing this for free, it would be rude."

"We just have to think positively. This one could be it."

"I doubt that." Blake shot him a disappointed look. "I'll leave the optimism for you."

They took quick showers and got ready to go. Ted was less enthusiastic than Blake, dragging his feet as he tried to find something to wear. _This is all just a waste of our time,_ he thought, tugging his socks on. _It's going to be another shitty house that no one in their right mind would want and I'll feel even more disappointed than I already do. Why couldn't one these houses actually be decent!? _Sighing, Ted laced his shoes up and waited for Blake to finish brushing his teeth. "I don't know how Jennifer can make a living," he said.

"What do mean?" Blake asked, his words garbled.

"Well, with all the crappy houses for sale in this town, how does she make any money?"

"Maybe not everyone is as picky as we are."

"I guess so. Otherwise she'd have to find herself another way of making money."

"I'm sure this house will be the right one for us," Blake assured him.

"Here's hoping."

They got into the car and mechanically, Ted maneuvered the streets to the address that Jennifer had given him. He had lived in Pittsburgh all of his life and knew his way around blindfolded. He knew his way around so well that he didn't even have to think about where he was going. _This is the last one,_ Ted decided. _If this one doesn't work out, we're going to broaden our horizons. Maybe there's a nice house within our price range in West Virginia. _Ted frowned. _Then you'd be close to Brian...on second thought...better not._

"What are you thinking about?" Blake asked.

"Nothing," Ted lied. "Just work stuff."

"New clients?"

"A few. I've really got my work cut out for me now that Brian's gone."

"At least you got a raise out of it. That makes it worthwhile, right?"

"Yeah." Ted shrugged. "Plus it's really good for my self-confidence."

"I can tell." Blake laughed.

The house was bigger than Ted had expected. He had been picturing a little shack with a dinky garage and boarded up windows. Okay, so it was a little over dramatic, but it didn't seem entirely out of the realm of possibility considering some of the other gems he'd seen recently. Jennifer was waiting for them outside. "Hi," she said, smiling warmly. "Glad you could make it."

"Thanks for showing us this on a weekend," Blake replied.

"It's my job," Jennifer assured him.

"Don't Michael and Ben live around here?" Blake asked Ted.

"Yeah...they do." Ted had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed that the house they were looking at was only a couple of blocks away from Michael and Ben's place. _That would be cool,_ he thought happily. _We could car pool to the gym and have barbeques in the summer. And we'll be really close to Emmett, too. _As far as Ted was concerned, the house was his.

Jennifer unlocked the front door and showed them the foyer. The room was nicely furnished and the walls––thankfully––were not white, but a pale salmon and instead of carpeting, there was hardwood flooring. _I'm definitely loving this place!_ Ted thought excitedly, eagerly following Jennifer through the upstairs. There were two bedrooms and two bathrooms. _Perfect._ The kitchen was decently sized and even had a dishwasher. Jennifer quickly showed them the two-car garage. Since Blake didn't have a car, they only needed room enough for Ted's car, but they could use the extra space for storage. "What do you think so far?" Jennifer asked, her eyes gleaming.

"I'm loving it," Ted replied, eyes wide with excitement. Out of all the houses he and Blake had looked at, this was the one. If they couldn't have it, he would be tremendously disappointed.

"What about you?" Jennifer turned to Blake.

"It's fantastic." Blake nodded, looking around. "I want it."

"Maybe you should see the basement before you make your decision," Jennifer suggested ominously.

"Don't tell me there's a crack in the wall of this one, too," Ted mumbled.

"No. But I think there's something down there you going to want to see."

Ted caught Blake's eye and quirked an eyebrow. What the hell was Jennifer talking about? Shrugging, they dutifully followed her down into the basement. All of the lights were off, but by the sunlight streaming through the small windows, Ted avoided running into a pole as he stumbled after Jennifer. Suddenly, the lights were flicked on and turning around, Ted's breath caught in his throat. All of his friends were standing next to Jennifer grinning. "What's going on?" he asked, finding his voice.

"Surprise," Emmett sang, winking at him.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ted laughed in disbelief. This had to be an illusion, there was no way his friends would know where he and Blake were.

"You said you were looking for a new house," Emmett explained. "Michael told me about this place and we put our heads together. One thing led to another and here you are."

"Are you part of this?" Ted turned to Jennifer.

"They told me about this place," Jennifer confessed.

"And we got dragged along," Brian added dryly.

"Brian!" Emmett discreetly elbowed Brian in the stomach.

"He means that we were glad to come and convince you to buy this place," Justin corrected.

Ted turned back to look at Blake. "I don't know what to say," he admitted.

"How about thank you?" Blake suggested. "Your friends care about you a lot."

"We don't just care about Ted," Michael assured him, smiling kindly.

"Thank you!" Ted laughed.

"Do you like it?" Emmett asked.

"It's...amazing."

"So, you're going to buy it?"

"What do you think?" Ted looked at Blake.

"Can we afford it?" Blake murmured in his ear.

"We'll manage."

"Then yes, we're going to buy it."

"I'll draw up the papers," Jennifer promised.

"In that case..." Brian pulled out a bottle of champagne and popped the cork out. "Let's celebrate."

"Oh, God." Ted shook his head, chuckling.

"Give me some!" Emmett cried, grabbed the bottle from Brian and taking a hearty sip.

"I'll have some, too," Michael iterated. Emmett handed him the bottle.

Ted joined his friends. "You guys are the best," he said meaningfully.

"I know." Emmett put an arm around him. "That's why you're friends with us."

"Now you and Blake will be right by us," Michael added. "We can hang out more."

"I was just thinking that," Ted confessed.

"And I'm not too far away," Emmett continued. "You know that I'm going to be over here all the time bugging the shit out of you and Blake."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Me neither," Blake said, joining the group. "I'm glad that we have such good friends."

"You'd better say that," Emmett joked, slipping his other arm around Blake.

"I need a cigarette," Brian announced, fumbling in the pocket of his jacket for his pack of cigarettes.

"Me, too." Justin took a cigarette from the pack

"Take it outside," Ted ordered, looking at Brian sternly. "I don't want my new house smelling like cigarettes." He paused and chuckled.

"What?" Michael asked.

"I said 'my new house.' It's weird."

"You'll get used to it."

Brian and Justin went back upstairs so that they could smoke. Now that the lights were on and the excitement was over, Ted could see that the basement was completely finished. _As if the house wasn't perfect enough,_ he thought, sighing contentedly. "I can't wait until we get moved in," he confessed. "And to try out the acoustics in the foyer."

"Please don't tell me that you're going to blast _La Traviata_," Emmett begged.

"I promise I'll do it when you're not here."

"Thanks, Teddy." Emmett kissed him on the cheek. "Unfortunately, I have to get going."

"Where are you off to?" Ted asked.

"I'm meeting Calvin at Torso."

"Are you giving him a make-over?" Ted jokingly inquired.

"Not quite. Torso is going out of business."

"That's a shame."

"Not for me."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going to rent the space and open up my own store. Auntie Em's Fashion Emporium. What do you think?"

"I think you need to work on the name."

Emmett stuck out his tongue. "I'll talk to you guys later."

"Bye, Em." Ted gave him a quick hug. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure, baby." Emmett waved at Blake, Michael, and Jennifer before leaving.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Michael asked.

"I think a real celebration is in order," Ted answered, clapping Blake on the shoulder. "Want to go out to dinner?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Oh, check out this place, Christos. Ben took me there for Valentine's Day, it's very romantic."

"Thanks, Michael."

They headed upstairs and Jennifer locked the door behind them. "I'll give the owner a call and let them know that you're interested," she said.

"Thanks, Jennifer. If it weren't for you and our friends, we never would've found this place."

"Don't thank me, I had nothing to do with it."

"Believe me, you did." Ted gave her a hug. "See you later."

"Bye, guys." Jennifer waved and went to say goodbye to Justin and Brian.

"Let's go eat," Ted announced, twining his hand through Blake's.

* * *

After Ted, Blake, and Jennifer left, Michael, Brian, and Justin were left alone. "So, what's new, Mikey?" Brian asked, taking a puff of his cigarette.

"This and that." Michael grinned. "Are you guys busy?"

"Not particularly. Why?"

"I want to show you my Valentine's Day present from Ben," Michael exclaimed, beaming.

"We have to go pick up the baby from Daphne," Justin quietly reminded Brian.

"We'll just stop by for a few minutes."

"Okay."

They gave Michael a ride back to his house. "I was so shocked when he gave it to me," Michael rambled. "I almost passed out."

"I'm assuming it wasn't anything sexual then?" Brian teased.

"No, that was my gift."

"Good one." Brian caught his eye in the rearview mirror and grinned.

"So, what did you two do on your trip?"

"We went out to eat, fucked," Brian answered simply.

"Other than that."

"We went to Gay Mardi Gras."

"How was it?"

"It was amazing!" Justin enthused. "It was so nice. It was like a bubble of love and acceptance. It was like gay heaven."

"It might have been." Brian winked at Justin.

"Were the guys hot?" Michael asked.

"You have no idea, Mikey," Brian said.

"It was like a gay porn exploded and all the hot guys were loose on the street."

"Sounds great. Ben and I should go someday, too."

"You have to. It's Pride on steroids."

"Hopefully we can go next year. We'll all go, it'll be fun!"

"Yeah, fun…" Brian mumbled sarcastically.

When they got to Michael's house, he got out of the car excitedly and stood next to his car. "What do you think?" he asked, his face flushed with elation.

"Not bad, Mikey." Brian whistled appreciatively. "Impala?"

"Yeah. It was all Ben could afford."

"You do the best you can."

"How's it drive?" Justin asked.

"Like a dream. I can't believe that I finally have my very own car. I don't have to bug anyone else for a ride now."

"Oh, I miss the good old days when it was you and me in the Jeep," Brian said, laughing. Justin arched an eyebrow. "Of course, I'm much happier with things the way they are now." He pulled Justin close and kissed the top of his head.

"Well, I'd better let you guys go." Michael hugged himself to keep warm. "It's hot out here and you have to go pick up the baby."

"All right. We'll see you later, Mikey." Brian gave him a quick kiss. "Take care of yourself."

"I will."

"Bye, Michael." Justin waved as he got into the passenger seat.

"Bye. Drive safe."

After Brian and Justin left, Michael went into the house and made himself some Koolaid. Rooting around in the cupboards, he found a box of Fig Newtons. When he was a teenager, his mother had brought him up a plate of Fig Newtons and a mug of Koolaid every day after school. When the Koolaid was ready, Michael padded into the living room and sat down in front of the laptop, booting it up. Much to his chagrin, he was already nearing the end of his novel. He'd worked so diligently at it over the course of the past few months that it had breezed right by. All he had left were about thirteen more chapter and then he would send it into his publisher to inspect more closely.

The upcoming months would decide whether or not he was cut out to be a writer. If the publisher opted not to go with Michael's book, he didn't know what he would do. After months of hard work, he would be utterly devastated. Luckily, Ben knew what it felt like to have a book rejected, so at least he would have someone to comfort him if everything went to hell. All he could do was hope and pray that things would work out and that by that time the following year, he would be the number one _New York Times _Bestseller. _Yeah right,_ Michael thought as he opened the document and started to work. He was just finishing up the last leg of the Liberty Ride, right before he and Brian had gotten back to Pittsburgh to the news that Melanie had had the baby. Without realizing it, Michael had started to cry at the memory of that wonderful night. The fall of tears on his hands brought it to his attention. "Well, if it can make me cry, it can make other people cry," he muttered, his fingers flying over the keyboard. While he would miss writing the novel every day, he would at least be glad that he had completed it. That was an accomplishment worth celebrating.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk:** Brianna gets sick and tension starts to rise in the Kinney-Taylor household. Brian does something that he'll soon regret.


	125. Crack

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin returned home from Australia.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Four

A couple of weeks later, Brianna got sick. It was a mystery to Brian and Justin how she caught the cold because she hadn't left the house in over a week and neither had they. It started out bad and only got worse as the week progressed. They took her to the doctor, who prescribed medication, but it wasn't having the desired effect. The baby kept them up pretty much all night and by the time the end of the week rolled around, they were both tired and cranky. "We have to do something," Brian grumbled, looking at the dark circles under his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he'd looked so shitty.

"What can we do?" Justin asked. "We already took her to the doctor."

"Go back? Obviously her medicine isn't working."

"What if they want to take blood? I couldn't sit there and watch them do that to her."

"Do you really want to be up all night again?" Brian snipped.

Justin met his steely gaze. "No I don't. If you want to take her, go ahead. But I'm not going."

"Fine." Brian sighed. "We'll give it another day."

"Thanks," Justin mumbled, going into the nursery to check on the baby. A few seconds later, he felt Brian's hands on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry I snipped at you," he whispered, his breath stirring the little hairs at the back of Justin's neck.

"I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't be so stubborn."

"I love it when you're stubborn." Brian leaned down to kiss Justin. "It's sexy."

"I wish I felt sexy," Justin mumbled.

"What do you mean?"

"I feel like shit. I'm sure you feel the same way. Neither of us has gotten more than an hour of sleep each night this week."

"I am feeling a little shitty," Brian conceded.

"I wish we could take a break for just one night."

Brian mulled that over for a few minutes. "Why don't we go to Babylon?"

"Babylon?" Justin raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"We've been meaning to get together with the guys and go out."

"Yeah, but the baby's sick," Justin protested.

"We can leave her with Daphne," Brian argued. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind. She's always looking for an excuse to take Brianna."

"I guess," Justin mused. "But if just doesn't feel right."

"Do you want a break or don't you?" Brian asked.

"I'll think about it," Justin promised.

"Okay. I'm going to call Michael and see if he's even up to going out tonight."

"Tell him I said his latest chapter was the best yet. It had me in tears."

"Sure."

Brian went into the bedroom and got his cell phone. He found Michael's name in his contact's list and waited as the call connected. After a few rings, Michael answered. "What's up?" he asked, sounding chipper.

"Hey, Mikey."

"I take it this isn't a social call?"

"Actually it is. What are you doing tonight?"

"I don't have anything planned. Why?"

"Want to go to Babylon?"

"Are you serious?"

"Deadly. Justin and I need a break."

"Yeah, I'd love to. I might even be able to convince Ben to come out."

"Don't try too hard," Brian teased.

"What about Ted and Emmett?"

"Invite them. We've been meaning for all of us to go together. Tonight's the night."

"Okay, sounds good. I'll call Emmett and Ted."

"Great."

"See you later."

"Bye, Mikey."

With a satisfied grin, Brian set the phone down and went back into the nursery. "We're all set," he said, kissing Justin on the cheek.

"Great," Justin replied thinly.

"Did you call Daphne?"

"Not yet. I want to wait and see how Brianna feels before I make any commitments."

"Okay." Brian chewed his lip. "Just don't wait too long. If we don't end up going, I need to let Michael know."

"I won't," Justin promised, smiling.

"Are you hungry?" Brian asked, changing the subject.

"Starving," Justin moaned. "Who knew barely sleeping could make you so hungry?"

"I didn't." Brian laughed. "Do you want to order a pizza or something?"

"Sounds good to me. We haven't had pizza in a while."

"I'll go order it."

"It can't get here fast enough."

Brian ordered the pizza and then went to get it. By the time he got back, both he and Justin were literally starving. Between the two of them, they ate a whole large pizza. "I'm going to regret that later," Brian groaned, rubbing his bloated stomach.

"Me, too. I feel like I'm about to burst."

"I guess we'll both have to hit the gym together," Brian teased.

"You go ahead. I don't have enough energy."

"You will tomorrow," Brian replied. "After a full nights' sleep, we're both going to feel better."

"Yeah," Justin agreed.

"What time is it?" Brian asked.

"Going on eight."

"I'd better get in the shower. Do you want to join me?" His eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Not this time. I should probably go keep an eye on the baby."

"Oh," Brian said dejectedly. "Yeah, you do that."

After a nice, hot shower, Brian felt more awake; almost human for the first time that week. Knowing that he and Justin were about to go out and have fun helped a little too. It had been too long since they'd gone out to Babylon. _I guess that's what happens once you have kids,_ Brian mused as he quickly shaved. _Thank God that Justin and I don't let parenting control our lives._ He finished shaving and spent a few minutes going through the closet looking for something to wear. He settled on a pair of black pants and button-up shirt. _Hot!_ he thought, looking at himself in the mirror. He went into the nursery where Justin was keeping a vigil. "I'm all set. Are you going to get ready?"

"No," Justin said simply.

"No?" Brian frowned.

"I'm not coming. It wouldn't be right to leave the baby when she's so sick."

"Okay." Brian shrugged. "I'll call Michael and let him know that we're not coming."

"No," Justin insisted. "You go." He knew deep down that Brian would never go without him, but to be polite, he had to at least offer.

"Okay." Brian shrugged. Normally, he wouldn't go, but if he didn't get out of the house for a little bit, he was going to go out of his fucking mind.

Justin bit the inside of his lip to keep from saying anything. "We're going to go to Woody's for drinks first, so I'd better get going."

"Have fun," Justin said with false enthusiasm.

"Thanks." Brian rubbed the baby's cheek. "Bye, baby," he whispered. Then he turned to Justin and looked into his eyes for a second. "Are you sure this is okay?"

"Yeah," Justin lied. No, it was not okay.

"I'll be back in a few hours." He pressed his lips against Justin's. "Get some sleep."

"Believe me, I will."

"Good." Brian went down the stairs and shrugged into his leather jacket. Looking up, he saw that Justin was not at the top of the stairs to say goodbye. "Bye," he called up. He got no response. Sighing, he went out the door and got into his car, revving up the engine.

By the time he got to Pittsburgh, the others were already at Woody's. "No Justin?" Ted asked.

"No. He decided to stay home with the baby."

"Why?"

"She's got a cold."

"Oh, poor baby," Emmett said softly.

"She'll be fine."

"He was okay with you coming?" Michael inquired skeptically.

"He gave me his permission, yes." Brian took a sip of his beer. It was the only one he would be drinking since he had to drive himself all the way back home.

"Wow, he's even more understanding than I thought."

"He understands that I need a break."

"From him or the baby?" Emmett queried.

"Neither. Just from being home all day every day. I need to get out and do something. I'm going stir crazy."

"It happens to the best of us," Emmett assured him.

"So, where's the Professor, Mikey?" Brian asked.

"He went to bed early. He's got an early meeting in the morning."

"Oh."

They stayed for a couple of drinks, waiting until eleven before making the trek to Babylon. Eleven was when things really heated up. "I cannot wait until fall," Michael groaned, sweat forming at the nape of his neck from the dreadful heat.

"Won't be long now," Brian mumbled. His thoughts went back to a similar conversation he'd had with Justin a few weeks back, right after they'd gotten home from Australia. _I wonder what he's up to now?_ It felt weird going out without him. He'd gotten so used to being a couple that when he wasn't with Justin, he somehow felt less complete. _God, I'm turning into a sap._

"At least you have your own car," Emmett reminded Michael, "with air conditioning."

"I'd be more than happy to give you a ride," Michael assured him. "As long as you're ready to go when I am."

"On second thought, I'll walk."

"I figured as much."

Brian was having a hard time paying attention to the conversation. He kept thinking about Justin and the baby. _Maybe I should just go home,_ he considered. _No!_ he told himself. _If you go home, your friends are going to think that you've grown soft. And we can't have that, can we? _Ted got them in free of charge and as soon as they were over the threshold, Brian felt like he'd never left. Babylon had been a second home to him for almost twenty years. He'd gone there pretty much every night since he had been able to get a hold of a fake ID for himself and Michael. They'd had plenty of good times there. He'd also met Justin outside. _Stop!_ he ordered himself. _Stop thinking about Justin. If you don't, you're just going to spend the whole night sulking in the corner. He wants you to have a good time and to spoil it would be to disappoint him._ They wove through the throng toward the bar. Brian had never noticed before exactly how much he and his friends drank when they went out clubbing. _It's a good thing I have to drive home or I'd be joining them,_ he thought sourly.

Someone's hand on his shoulder jolted him out of his reverie. "Brian?" Michael said in his ear.

"What?" Brian asked, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

"I said, you look like you're having a blast."

"I am."

"I was being sarcastic," Michael mumbled.

"I know."

"It's Justin, isn't it?"

"No."

"Don't lie. I know you better than that. You miss him."

"If I agree, will you stop pestering me?"

"No."

"Yes, I miss him, okay?"

"Fine. Calm down."

"It just isn't the same without him."

"I know how you feel." Michael patted his hand comfortingly. "Listen, why don't you and I go dance for a song or two and then you can head on home?"

"All right," Brian relented.

Michael grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. One of their old favorites was playing. "Remember this song?" Michael asked, grinning.

"They were playing it the first night we came here," Brian replied.

"God, I was so nervous."

"I remember, you almost threw up before we left."

"I was a virgin," Michael said in his defense.

"So?"

"I wasn't the one fucking Mr. Henshaw in the eight grade."

"I wonder what ever happened to him..." Brian stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"I heard he got arrested for molesting one of his students."

"What a pity."

"Yeah, a real tragedy," Michael grumbled. "Anyway, that first night." He smiled. "I was not at all prepared for this."

"But you coped pretty well, Mikey."

"That's because I had you here with me."

"You would've been just fine without me."

"I doubt that." Michael rested his head on Brian's shoulder.

Brian looked down at him. "Don't get all sentimental on me, Mikey," he said.

"Sorry. I always get emotional when I hear this song."

"I hadn't noticed."

"I'm really glad that we're seeing more of each other," Michael blurted.

"Me, too." Brian ran his hand through Michael's hair, staring down into his eyes.

"It's good being back here, isn't it?" Michael asked, breaking eye contact and looking around the club.

"It would be more fun if Justin were here." He looked at Michael. "No offense."

"None taken. It would be more fun for me if Ben were here."

"Look at us: happily married. Remember when we were both happily single?"

"I try to forget it as hard as I can."

"So do I," Brian admitted.

The song changed and they went back to the bar. "You'd better get going," Michael said, ordering a beer.

"What about you?" Brian asked.

"I'll be fine. I'm sure Emmett and Ted can squeeze me in. And if not, I'll find some hunk to dance with."

"Mikey." Brian shook his head disapprovingly. "You wait until now to take after me?"

"Sorry." Michael laughed.

"No apologies," Brian reminded him.

"Do you want me to walk you out?"

"I'll be fine."

"Okay." Michael shuffled his feet.

"See ya, Mikey."

"Bye." Brian leaned down and kissed Michael, pretending it was Justin he was kissing and not Michael. He almost fooled himself.

"Say bye to the boys for me, will you?"

"Sure."

"Bye." Brian turned and smiled tightly at Michael before he made his way back to the door.

"Going home already, Brian?" the bouncer asked.

"Yeah, I've got an early day tomorrow."

"Uh huh. Take care."

"You, too."

Brian hurried through the blistering heat to the car. Luckily, it started immediately. He sat in the parking lot for a few minutes, letting the car warm up. To be honest, he couldn't wait for summer to be over either. He fucking hated the dryness and the heat. _One more reason to move somewhere moderate all year round_. On the drive home, he thought about Justin. If there was one thing he'd learned from that nights' experience, it was that now that he was fully committed to Justin, he was completely hooked. His life practically revolved around him. And the strange thing was, he was okay with that. _My how times change,_ he thought ruefully. He couldn't wait to get home, climb into bed and snuggle up with Justin. It didn't matter that they wouldn't get any sleep. They would be together, that was what mattered.

When Brian got home, he noted that all of the lights were off. Justin was probably snagging as much asleep as he could. Quietly, he opened the front door and closed it behind him. He tiptoed up the stairs and went right into the bedroom. He didn't turn the light on––assuming that Justin was asleep––and quickly slipped out of his clothes. He climbed into bed and got under the covers. Reaching out for Justin, his hand hit thin air. _What?_ He tried again. Still nothing. Brian flipped on the light and saw that Justin's pillow was gone. _He must be in the guest room, _he surmised. He padded down the hall to the guest room and tried the door. Strangely, it was locked. _What the fuck is going on?_ he wondered, chewing his lip.

Brian considered knocking on the door, but figured that Justin was asleep and didn't want to be bothered. _Maybe he thought he'd get more sleep down the hall_, Brian mused, sighing. Whatever the reason, Justin wouldn't be in bed with him. Dejectedly, he went back into the bedroom and got into bed. Turning the light off, he closed his eyes. It didn't matter, sleep wasn't going to come easily.

* * *

**Author's Note : There are only eight more chapters of QAF: NSN. How will it end? Who will end up together and who will split? Whose dreams will be fulfilled? **

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian has to pay for his actions.


	126. Shattered

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brianna got sick, keeping Brian and Justin awake. After a week or so, Brian got the opportuntity to go out and get a break and jumped at it.

Justin was pissed that he couldn't go and that Brian would leave him alone with a sick baby.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Five

Brian tossed and turned all night. He kept reaching over for Justin, only to remember that he wasn't there. It wasn't just the fact that Justin was sleeping in another room that was making Brian restless, deep down he knew that something was wrong. Something had been wrong all week. All they'd done was bicker, which was unusual for them. But no matter how much they snipped at each other, Justin had never moved to the guest room. Brian knew that they were in trouble. _I shouldn't have gone out to Babylon,_ he thought dejectedly. _It was selfish of me. Justin needed a break every bit as much as I did, and at the first chance of escape, I abandoned him. No wonder he's pissed at me. God, what is wrong with me!?_

Giving up on sleep, he turned on the lamp and tired to read, but he couldn't concentrate on the book. His eyes took in the contents, but his brain didn't register them. He had royally fucked things up. He had never meant for it to happen, but it did. Hopefully there was still enough time to fix things before everything was irreparably damaged. He listened closely for the sound of the baby crying or Justin's soft footsteps in the hall, but everything was silent. _I guess that medicine the doctor gave her finally worked._ _We could've left her with Daphne after all and none of this would be happening right now. I could be fast asleep holding him in my arms._

As the sun rose, Brian finally drifted off into a light sleep. It wasn't long before he could hear Brianna fussing in the nursery. Cracking open an eye, he groaned. _Right when I was _finally _getting to sleep._ He rolled out of bed and opened the door, peering out into the hall. He couldn't see Justin anywhere. _Let him sleep._ Brian opened the door to the nursery and went in. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he paused. Justin was leaning over the basinet, his back to the door. _This is your chance,_ Brian thought, licking his dry lips. _Tell him you're sorry. You guys will fall into bed and fuck and everything will be back to the way it was. Hopefully._ "Hey," he said softly, coming up behind Justin.

"Hey." Justin's voice was completely devoid of emotion.

"She's doing better," Brian continued, looking down at the baby, half-awake.

"Yeah." Justin sighed. "How was your night?"

"Fine," Brian lied, chewing his lip. "How was yours?"

"Great," Justin replied sarcastically.

"Look..."

"You obviously don't care about how my night went, so why don't you just go back to bed?"

"What?" Brian scoffed.

"Just leave me alone," Justin said acidly. "I can't even look at you right now."

Brian's plan to apologize vanished. He had barely slept all week and when he didn't get sleep, he got cranky. And Justin was really pissing him off. "I'm not going anywhere," he muttered.

"Fine, then I will." Justin picked the baby up and started to move toward the door.

"What is your problem!?" Brian demanded.

"What is my problem?" Justin laughed dryly. "You're my problem, Brian."

"Lighten up."

"I can't lighten up. I am exhausted. But do you care? No. You don't care about me. You certainly don't care about the bay. All you care about is going out and having fun with your friends."

That stung like a slap across the face. "You know that's not true!" Brian growled. How dare Justin talk to him like that? It was one time. And Justin had told him to go. He'd planned on staying in.

"Really? Well you could have fooled me."

"So I went out for a couple of hours." Brian shrugged.

"And left me here with a sick baby!" Justin's eyes glowed with anger.

"You told me to go!" Brian shouted, clenching his jaw. "And besides, I don't need your permission to go out. We might be married, but you don't own me."

"Evidently." Justin set the baby back in her basinet.

"Why can't you just let this go?"

"Because you're a selfish asshole!"

"I'm selfish!?" Brian barked with laughter. "I'm not the one acting like a fucking infant."

"No, you're just the one who has never matured past the age of fourteen."

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck you!"

Brian gritted his teeth. "If I'm so selfish, then why are you still here!?" he demanded.

"Because I have nowhere else to go!" Justin screamed.

"Oh, I'm sure your little friend Kirk wouldn't mind putting you up."

"What?" Justin's mouth dropped open.

"I saw how you flirted with him."

"I was flirting with him so we could play _your_ immature little game. I had no interest in him whatsoever."

"Yeah, right." Brian turned and walked out of the nursery. Justin followed him. "Don't follow me."

"No, we're going to get everything out right now," Justin insisted.

"Get what out!? You're pissed and I'm pissed. If we don't go to our own corners, things are going to get ugly."

"Things are already ugly, Brian!"

"What do you want from me!?"

Justin chewed his lip. "I don't know," he admitted. "For starters, I want you to put our family before Babylon."

"I do! How often do I go out?"

"It doesn't matter how often you do it," Justin insisted. "It matters that you did it."

"I wanted you to come with me!"

"And I did the right thing and stayed home with our daughter. That's what responsible parents do."

"Don't accuse me of not being a responsible parent!"

"Well, after last night, I'm really starting to doubt that you are!"

"Compared to you, everyone is an irresponsible parent."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Justin crossed his arms over his chest.

"You are way too involved. Brianna isn't the only thing you have in your life, in case you've forgotten."

"Spoken like the true Brian Kinney."

Brian shook his head. "Why do you insist on berating me like I'm your goddamn kid? I'm thirty-four."

"Well, someone has to. It's really pathetic when a twenty-two year old acts more mature than you."

"Oh, yeah, you're so mature." Brian scoffed. "You act like a spoiled fucking brat. If you don't get your way, you have a temper tantrum. You don't hear what you want to hear, you leave. That's really mature."

"I do not have temper tantrums!" Justin argued.

"No, you don't. You know why? Because you always get your way! I go out of my way to make sure that you get everything you want when you want it."

"I don't ask you to do that!"

"That's what you do when you love someone!"

"Oh, so now you love me? Well, you didn't last night."

"You know I do."

"Nice way of showing it."

Brian had had enough. He had given Justin everything and this is how he got repaid? This was complete and utter bullshit. If this is how Justin wanted to be, then fine. Brian would go and come back in a little while when he had calmed down. He'd forgotten how bad of a temper Justin had. "I'm going to take a shower," he mumbled, pushing past Justin.

"Wait!" Justin called after him.

"What?" Brian turned back.

"I'm not done with you yet."

"Well, I'm done with you."

"Fine." Justin grinned bitterly. He pulled the diamond promise ring off of his finger and threw it at Brian. The ring landed at his feet. Brian felt a pang of sadness in his heart. "Take that, too. I don't want it." He sighed. "Maybe you were right."

"About what?"

"Getting married. Maybe marriage really is a doomsday machine destined to self-destruct."

"Maybe," Brian croaked.

Brian felt his heart crack in half. How could all of this be happening? How had they come to this point? Especially after how far they had gone to avoid it for so long. He felt dirty, like he'd failed at something. In truth, he had. He had failed both Justin and their kids. There was no going back now. Maybe when things cooled down, Justin would be more receptive to his apology. Of course, after that last bullet, would he want Justin back? Fighting was one thing, but what Justin had just done was utterly unforgivable. Wasn't it? He felt the stinging in his nose that meant that tears were coming. _Christ!_ "I'm going to take a shower," he repeated, stomping back into the bedroom. He slammed the door and ripped his clothes off. He fell onto the bed and punched his pillow angrily. He was so angry that he didn't even notice the tears falling until he caught sight of himself in the mirror.

* * *

Justin watched Brian go, his heart aching. He had been so angry that he had said and done some terrible things. He hadn't meant any of it, but he was just so tired. All he wanted to do was sleep. Unfortunately, Brianna was still awake. _I can't stay here,_ he decided. After what he had said to Brian and especially after he had thrown the promise ring at him, he had to leave. He didn't deserve Brian's love or kindness. He was shit. On his way back into the nursery, he bent and picked up the ring. The sunlight streaming in through the windows shone off the ring, painting the walls a dazzling rainbow. Looking at the ring, Justin felt tears spilling down his cheeks. Normally, he would return the ring, but despite his harsh actions, he couldn't bear to part with it. He pocketed the ring and stood up. _Stop crying, _he ordered himself. _You're not some pathetic little faggot who cries every time something upsetting happens to him. You're stronger than that._

Pacing the nursery floor, Justin wracked his mind for somewhere he could go. He didn't want to stay in Pittsburgh. It was too close to Brian, and the one thing he needed at that moment more than anything was space. There was the apartment in New York, but it wasn't furnished yet and besides, Brian had the key. Justin was not about to go and ask for it either. Suddenly, he heard Melanie and Lindsay's voices in his head: _"You'll just have to come visit us," _Mel had said.

"_You'll always have a place to stay," _Lindsay had assured him.

"_If you decide to pack your bags and leave."_

Justin laughed at the irony of it all. He and Brian had been happy for a long time and then, just as his mother warned him, things had changed. If he saw himself and Brian then, he wouldn't recognize them. _And I thought we were really going to make it,_ he thought bitterly. _God, what an idiot I am._ Swiping at his tears, Justin got his cell phone out and called Lindsay. "Hey," Lindsay said cheerfully.

"Hey." Justin's voice was husky from shouting. _I've never shouted at Brian like that before,_ he lamented, wishing more than anything that he could just take it all back. _I ruined it. Thanks to me, everything we had is gone and now he won't want me anymore. Not after I..._He couldn't bring himself to think about it again. It was too painful.

"What happened?" Lindsay asked, her voice serious.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Is everyone okay?"

"Not even remotely." Justin sniffled.

"Oh, Justin."

"I have a favor to ask you."

"Anything. Mel and I are always here for you, you know that."

"Can Brianna and I come and stay with you guys for a while?"

"Of course. You know that you're always welcome here."

"Thanks, Linz."

"That's what family is for."

"Yeah." Justin looked over at the baby. She was staring up at the ceiling, her mouth open. "Listen, I have to go. We'll be on the road in a bit."

"Okay."

Justin disconnected and went back over the basinet. "Come on," he whispered, picking Brianna up. "Let's get you some food, honey." He carried he down the stairs and went into the kitchen to warm up a bottle. Upstairs, he could hear the shower running. _A month or so ago, I'd be in the shower with him. We'd be in each other's arms, blissful. No! Don't think about it, _he commanded. _There's no point getting yourself anymore upset than you already are._ When the bottle was the right temperature, he gave it to the baby and hurried back upstairs. Brian didn't usually take long in the shower and he did not want to run into him, it would be too awkward.

About ten minutes later, he heard Brian come out of the bedroom and walk past. Going to the door, he opened it a crack and peered out. He saw Brian pause at the top of the stairs, staring down at his feet. Sighing, Brian continued down the stairs. Justin crept out into the hall and watched Brian from the top of the stairs as he went into his office and shut the door behind him. Setting his chin determinedly, Justin went into the bedroom and fished around in the closet for his suitcase. He didn't know exactly how long he was going for––probably indefinitely––but there was no way he would be able to bring everything with him this time. It didn't matter, he'd have to come back so that Daphne could see the baby, he'd just have to drop in and get the rest of his stuff. He'd done it before.

When he filled his suitcase, he got the little gym bag that they used for Brianna's clothes when she went to stay with Daphne for the weekend. He quickly filled it––luckily Brianna didn't have much by way of clothing––and set the bags down in the hall. Justin grabbed his pillow and went into the bathroom, gathering together his toothbrush and floss. The rest he could get when he was in Toronto. _Oh, birth certificate,_ he thought as he went into the bedside stand and pulled out his and the baby's birth certificates. Without them, they wouldn't be allowed into Canada. _I never thought I'd be doing this in a million years. I guess nothing really does last forever._

* * *

In his office, Brian stared at the blank computer screen in front of him. He didn't even notice that it was blank; he was too preoccupied with his thoughts. He kept rehashing the last twenty-four hours in his head. If he had just stayed home the night before, he and Justin wouldn't be at odds._ I have to fix things,_ he decided, standing up. He went to the door but his hand froze on the doorknob. What if he went to apologize and all that happened was he and Justin started to fight again? Why did life have to be so goddamned complicated!? Why couldn't he just be holding Justin in his arms, asleep in their bed? Why had he let things get so bad? He certainly hadn't wanted things to turn out like they were. It was killing him.

Before a fresh onslaught of tears could fall, he went and threw himself back into the chair, rubbing his temples. _This is such a mess!_ If he didn't fix things, he would lose two of the most important things in his life: Justin and the baby. He'd applied for second parent adoption, but had not been awarded his parental rights yet. If he and Justin divorced, would that change things? Would he still be able to see the baby? And what about Gus? Gus loved spending time with Brian and Justin. He would be devastated if he came to visit and Justin and the baby were gone. How would he even explain it to Gus? _Your daddy is a selfish prick and ruined the best thing in his life? _He wished he could take back everything he'd said to Justin during their argument. He wished that he'd been able to keep his temper in check and had just apologized before the argument had broken out.

The sound of Justin coming down the stairs made his heart leap. _Now's the time,_ he decided, striding across the room and opening the door. What he saw made him freeze in his tracks. Justin had brought down two suitcases and the baby's basinet. _What the hell? _Brian thought, stepping out into the foyer. He saw Justin turn to look at him. "What's going on?" he asked as calmly as he could.

"I'm leaving," Justin answered simply.

"Where are you going?" Brian felt his heart break all over again. He really had ruined everything.

"What do you care? You're finally rid of me," Justin replied.

"Justin."

Justin looked up into Brian's eyes and for a second, he swore that he saw love in his eyes. "I'm going to stay with Melanie and Lindsay."

"What for?" Brian put his hands on his hips.

"Because I need to."

"If that's what you want..."

"It's not what I want!" Justin exclaimed, slamming one of the suitcases down.

"Then, why are you going?"

"Because I have to! If I stay here..." His voice trailed off.

"I see." Brian chewed his lip. "Well you have to do what makes you happy. I'm not going to stand in your way."

"Of course not," Justin mumbled under his breath. "I don't need your permission, remember?"

"What?"

"Nothing." Justin looked at him again.

"When are you coming back?"

"I don't know. I need to think and I can't do that here."

"But you are coming back, right?"

"I guess that depends on what I decide. Now, you should probably say goodbye to the baby."

"You're taking her, too." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah."

Brian nodded. He bent down and picked Brianna up out of her car seat. "Hey," he whispered, gently kissing her on the forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"She seems to be better," Justin mumbled on his way out the door.

"Good." Brian swallowed past the lump in his throat. He wanted to go to Justin and beg him to stay, to apologize for everything. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. Justin had to do what made him happy. That's all Brian wanted––for Justin to be happy––and if that meant losing him, then he would suffer through it. He had already caused Justin enough pain.

Justin came back in and cleared his throat. "I'm ready," he said softly.

"Bye, sweetie," Brian murmured, hugging Brianna close. "I'll see you again soon, okay?" Justin came closer and Brian passed Brianna over to him. "Do you have money?"

"I'll be fine."

"Okay." Brian chewed his lip as Justin walked out of the house without so much as a backward glance. Brian knew deep down that Justin wasn't coming back. He had missed his chance. He watched out the window as Justin pulled down the long driveway and turned, disappearing out of sight. So, that was it. It was over.

Emotionlessly, Brian went back into his office and sat down, staring off into space.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **With Justin gone, Brian decides to move on, but in doing so goes back to old ways. But can he still play the same old games he used to, or is it true that love never dies?


	127. The One That Got Away

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin got into a huge fight and Justin left, taking Brianna with him.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Six

For hours Brian sat in the den, staring at the fire burning brightly in the fireplace. Although he was looking at the flames, he didn't see them. His mind was a million miles away. He didn't even register the pain of the cuts on his hands – thanks in no small part to the lamp he'd shattered against the wall. The only pain he felt was the absence of Justin and Brianna.

He kept replaying the incident over and over in his mind. Had it been his fault? If he had chosen his words differently would he and Justin be watching the fire together now instead of separated? And what about Brianna? Would she be another child that he only got to see every other weekend?

Shaking his head, Brian stood up and stretched. His back and knees cracked in response. _Christ, I really _am _getting old, _he thought sourly. Slowly, he made his way out into the foyer. His eyes fell upon the mess scattered across the floor. Broken shards of glass and wood were everywhere. And there was a lovely dent in the wall. _Just fucking lovely._

He made his way into the laundry room and grabbed the broom and dustpan. Sitting around doing nothing wasn't going to solve anything. Justin was gone, but life would go on. It had to. As he swept up the mess, his mind wandered back to the argument and he felt anger flare through his veins once more. What an ungrateful shit! He'd given Justin everything: money, a nice home, a family…Christ, he'd even changed who he was for that unappreciative little fucker and what did he get out of it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

_I was right all along. Love is nothing but a lie concocted by straight people so that they can laid. And in the end you just wind up hurting each other because it was all based on lies to begin with. _Brian scoffed. _Well, no more. I've learned my lesson. I was never meant to be someone's boyfriend, let alone their husband. And I'll be damned if I'm going to sit around here feeling sorry for myself. He's gone and as far as I'm concerned, good riddance. Now I can stop pretending to be something I'm not and can finally do what I want: fuck as many guys as I want, when and where I want. _

Dumping the mess into the wastepaper basket, Brian threw the broom and dustpan back into the laundry room and hurried up the stairs. Half way up he spotted a shirt of Justin's that must've dropped on his way down. He knelt down to pick it up and looked at it for a moment before wadding it up and throwing it over his shoulder. It didn't matter anymore. That wasn't who he was. Justin had had him by the ball for far too long. _And now I'm finally free of him and his whining. Good luck finding another man to put up with your shit, Sunshine._

Brian stalked down the hallway and went through the bedroom and into the bathroom. Letting his clothes fall to the floor, he yanked the shower door open and stepped inside, turning the water on as hot as he could stand it. As the scalding water beaded down on him, he felt his exhaustion slowly abate. He'd never enjoyed a shower more in his life.

After what felt like only a few minutes but must have been the better part of an hour, Brian emerged from the shower feeling refreshed. He quickly dried off with a towel and wiped the condensation off the mirror. His reflection looked good. The shower had taken away the dark circles under his eyes. _And gee, all this time I've been wasting sleeping…_

After shaving and brushing his teeth, Brian blow-dried his hair and styled it, making sure that every lock of hair was in place. Smiling at his perfect reflection, he padded into the bedroom and opened the closet door. Immediately he started searching through the racks for the perfect outfit. Finding his favorite tight black jeans, he threw them onto the bed and continued his search. As his hands wound through the racks he mentally vetoed each shirt he found. _Too red. Too white. Not hot enough. Way out of style. Bingo. _

He pulled out a form-fitting black dress shirt. He'd bought it awhile back but hadn't gotten around to wearing it yet. _And tonight's the perfect night. _Yanking the shirt free of its hanger, he slipped it on and buttoned it up. Next he pulled on a pair of briefs before getting into his jeans. They were tight enough that he didn't have to wear a belt but not so tight that he was constricted. Perfect for his plans.

Brian went and stood in front of the full-length mirror that Justin had stood before several months earlier, fretting about his art show. _Stop thinking about him! _Brian commanded himself, putting on his favorite leather jacket. _He's gone and you're back. What more could you want? _He took one last look in the mirror, pleased with what he saw. _Time to remind everyone who the hottest fag in Pittsburgh _really _is._

After his little fucking contest with Brandon the year before – that he had expectedly won – Brian had been pleased when his former competition as the stud of Babylon had left town. _Probably running back to Arkansas or wherever the fuck he was from. _And since then, no new competition had surfaced. Brian was and always would be the hottest fuck in Pittsburgh. And now that he was back, he could prove to a new generation of fags just how worthy of that title he truly was.

On his way out the door he ran into thekitchen and grabbed two poppers from the fridge. It wasn't much, but it was a start. He'd have to call Anita and see if he couldn't arrange a little business transaction on his way to Babylon. After all, a party wasn't a party without drugs. And tonight more than ever, he needed to get high.

* * *

Brian hung up the payphone. Somewhere along the line he'd misplaced his cell phone. _Goddamn it! Of all the times to lose the fucking thing. _Rolling his eyes, Brian hugged himself to stay warm against the sudden chill wind as he hurried back into the car. As soon as the door was shut, he turned the key in the ignition and cranked up the heat. _Maybe it's time I packed my shit up and got the fuck out of the Pitts. Maybe someplace nice like Palm Springs. I hear the men there are hot enough to melt ice. That's why it doesn't snow in California… _

Conveniently, Anita was home and her supply was freshly stocked. She carried everything imaginable: K, E, GHB, vicodin, coke, pot, heroin – Brian had never touched the heroin, but he'd sampled pretty much everything else. And since he'd been a frequent customer for many years, Anita always contacted Brian when she got something new. But he wasn't going to be picky tonight. He'd take anything he could get his hands on. Anything to take away the pain and get his mind off of Justin

Brian cleared his throat and sniffed. Despite his best intentions, his thoughts kept creeping back to Justin. It was going to take a whole hell of a lot of drugs to make him forget. Eventually he'd be numb enough that he wouldn't care anymore. Then it would be just like the good old days when he hadn't given a shit about anyone but himself. _Except for Mikey and Gus. And now Brianna._

When the car was at a comfortable temperature, Brian put it into park and pulled into traffic. He hadn't gotten more than a block or two before he caught a red light. Looking at his watch, he scowled. His meeting with Anita was in fifteen minutes and he hated to be late for meetings with his dealer. Tapping his foot impatiently, Brian turned the knob on the radio. Cyndi Lauper's sultry voice blared out.

_I'm driving home from work_

_Knowing you're not there._

_I used to hurry home_

_Now I don't even care._

_The sun is in my eyes_

_So I can't see._

_But when it sets down behind the _

_Mountain it's gonna be _

_My first night_

_Without you._

Angrily, Brian switched the radio off. _Of all the songs in the world, they had to play that one, didn't they? _He clenched his jaw and pushed harder on the accelerator. In response the engine purred and he made it through the light just before it turned red.

A few minutes later, Brian pulled up outside of Anita's house. Seeing the headlights, the short Hispanic woman made her way to the car, looking around to make sure that no one was watching. Brian unlocked the door and turned to face her as she got in. "Hey. Long time no see," Anita said, tugging the door shut behind her. "I was so shocked when you called."

"Yeah. I haven't been myself lately," Brian explained, smiling tightly.

"Well I'm glad you're back. Business hasn't been the same since you left."

"It's good to be back."

Anita nodded and reached into her clutch. "I got what you asked for." She pulled out a bag of weed and Brian's personal favorite: Special K.

"Thank you." Brian handed her a wad of cash and took the drugs, stuffing them into the inside pocket of this jacket.

"You be careful, okay?" Anita ordered seriously.

"I always am." Brian forced himself not to tell the bitch off. He was an adult and he could more than handle his drugs. He wasn't some stupid teenager rebelling against his parents. And if something were to happen, he wouldn't rat her out to the cops. Brian wasn't a snitch.

Without another word, Anita got out and hurried back into her house. Brian didn't wait to make sure she'd made it before he started the car again. It was getting late and the party at Babylon was about to start. There was a time that the party wouldn't start until he got there. And tonight would be no different.

Traffic was light on the way to Babylon. It was late and sane people were home sleeping. Brian put the car in park and got out, locking the door behind him. He took a quick assessment of the guys lined up waiting it get into the club. Most of them he recognized, but a few were new. And hot. He caught the eye of one hot guy with light hair. The guy smiled and waved. _I know who's going to be sucking my dick tonight, _Brian thought with a self-assured smile. _God, I've missed this!_

Nodding at the doorman, Brian went right in, embracing the loud, pulsating thumpa thumpa. Immediately, all thoughts of anything else vanished. This is where he belonged. Shrouded by the enveloping darkness, Brian reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the Special K. Holding the bottle up to his nose, he inhaled deeply. Immediately he felt the tingling, burning sensation as the drug made it's way through his sinuses. He wiped at his nose, blinking. It had been awhile since he'd taken some Special K and apparently his tolerance was a little low.

Already feeling buzzed, he took his leather jacket off and threw it across the end of the bar. Jimmy, the bartender looked at it and nodded to Brian. He understood that he was to make sure that no one took it. He was used to the routine. Brian smiled tightly and turned to face the dance floor. It was even more full than it had been the night before. The smell of sweat wafted over toward Brian, invading him. He didn't mind. He was used to it.

His eyes scanning the crowd, Brian tried to find his first victim of the night. He hadn't had sex in over a week and he was bursting with unspent sexual energy. If he didn't fuck someone soon, he'd have to take care of himself. His eyes settled on a cute brunet standing by the staircase. Smiling confidently, Brian left his perch and pushed his way over.

The guy looked up when he felt Brian looming over him. "Hey," Brian aid, smiling seductively. He ran a slow, teasing hand down the guy's chest, feeling his six-pack through his shirt. _Not bad. I can't remember the last time I fucked someone with abs._

"No, thanks," the guy replied, pushing Brian's hand away. _What!?_

"Excuse me?" Brian asked, laughed in disbelief. Nobody turned him down. Nobody.

"I said: no, thanks." The guy rolled his eyes and walked away, swinging his ass tantalizingly.

"I didn't want your saggy ass anyway!" Brian shouted after him. Who the hell did that guy think he was to deny Brian Kinney? _You'd be lucky to have me._

A hand on the small of his back made Brian turn around. It was the guy from the alley. The blond one. The hot one. "Rough night?" the guy asked, grinning.

"Rough crowd," Brian replied, sniffing. He took the guy's hand and guided it down to the front of his jeans, where the material was strained from his erection. "But things are looking up."

"They sure are!" the guy laughed. "Looks like I'm getting lucky tonight. It's been a long time since I've been fucked by a nice, big dick."

"I can change that."

"I'm Erik."

"Doesn't matter."

Without another word, Brian grabbed the front of Erik's shirt and led him across the room to the back room. As soon as he passed the threshold, he felt as though he was finally back where he belonged. They wound their way through the labyrinth, each getting more aroused at the scenery: men fucking each other up against the cement walls, moaning loudly. Even the smell of sweat and cum worked as an aphrodisiac. Rounding the corner, they passed an orgy. A group of eight or more guys lay on the floor, their bodies entwined. Brian contemplated dumping his new partner, but decided against it. There was plenty of time to join in the party. He wanted to get his first orgasm out of the way before he burst.

Rounding the next corner, Brian smiled with relief. There was an empty spot along the wall. He turned to face his prey, who gently shoved him against the wall. Eyes glowing with mischief, Erik knelt down and unbuttoned Brian's jeans, reaching in and gasping. "It's even bigger than I imagined!"

"Feel free to try it out," Brian said, his voice dripping with lust. It had been way too long.

Not needing to be told twice, Erik reached in and pulled out Brian's cock, holding it firmly in his right hand. Brian gasped as he felt it slide past the trick's lips. But that was when everything changed. The second the pleasure shot throughout his body, visions of Justin exploded in his mind.

He saw the night they first met: how sweet and innocent Justin had been then; Justin coming back to him after his betrayal with Ethan; Justin agreeing to marry him, making him the happiest he'd ever been; Justin returning from New York; their wedding; the birth of their daughter; not to mention all the sex…and the tender moments in between. He felt their kisses and caresses, his lips tingling at the thought. He heard them saying their vows: _" What can I say? You came into my life and changed everything. You brought out the part of me that I'd buried long ago and assumed was gone forever. You made me into a better person and although it took me four years to say it, I've always felt it. I love you."_

"_It's true you made me wait four years before you told me how you felt, but somehow I always knew it. You've shown it in countless ways: your smiles, your caresses. You've always taken such good care of me and I promise to love you and take as good of care of you as you've taken of me. I'll love you forever."_

His heart swelled and he felt guilt stab him deep in the chest.

Brian shoved Erik back onto his haunches. "Stop!" he ordered, zipping his jeans back up and starting to walk away.

"What the fuck!?" Erik scowled. "What is your problem?"

"You suck at giving head," Brian said simply, turning back to face Erik. "No wonder you're reduced to guys with little dicks."

"Hey, fuck you!" Erik shouted, getting to his feet.

"You wish."

"Just because you've got a big dick doesn't mean you can be one." With that, Erik stormed out, his footsteps masked by the moaning that sounded from all over the room.

Mind racing, Brian rushed back out into the club and snagged his jacket from the counter, pulling it on. He had to get out of here and get home. He needed a good night's sleep and time to think things through, to clear his head. And most of all, he needed to get drunk. But if he did that here, he'd have to call Mikey to give him a ride home and he didn't want his best friend to see him, it would bring up too many questions. Questions he couldn't bear to answer. Fishing his keys out of his pockets, Brian left Babylon and got into the Corvette, starting the engine. Not waiting to check traffic, Brian pulled out of the alley and sped off into the night.

* * *

Back home, Brian had returned to his perch in the den. He had a case of beer on the coffee table, a few missing. An empty case lay on the floor, crushed. He idly sipped at the bottle in his hand, the alcohol mixing with the drugs and making him even more confused. What the fuck had happened? When had his life become such a mess? The one person he had loved most in the world had left him and now he wouldn't be able to move on? What kind of bullshit was that? Was he doomed to spend the rest of his life wishing that he could somehow go back and say something different, not let Justin walk out?

The more he thought about it, the more he realized just how much he missed Justin. He had given everything to the boy, trusted him in a way that he had never trusted anyone before. And even though he was alone now, he didn't regret it. He was human. He had loved someone and it hadn't worked out. _It happens. And who knows? Maybe, some day he'll forgive me and we'll be able to work it out…however unlikely that is. Not after all the cruel things I said to him._

Brian finished his beer and reached for another. He couldn't be sober right now. It hurt too much to feel the pain of loss. It had all been his fault. He'd let Justin walk out the door and hadn't stopped him. If he'd really, truly loved Justin as much as he thought he had, wouldn't he have done anything to keep him? And now, thanks to his own selfishness, his daughter was going to have to grow up the product of a broken home. _Gee, you sure are a hell of a dad. You were right all along: you are a shitty father. And husband. _He took a deep swig of his beer. He'd lost count of how many he'd had. Enough to make him so drunk that even turning his head made him lose his balance.

Reaching down, he picked up the frame with the wedding pictures in it. There was one of them holding hands, reciting their vows, another of them kissing, and a third of them, laughing, feeding each other cake. Eyes taking in every detail, Brian noted how happy both he and Justin had looked almost a year before. _Before I fucked it all up. _Tenderly he reached out and stroked the picture, wishing that it were actually Justin's cheek that he was touching. _I'm so sorry I fucked it all up, _he said silently. _I do love you and I take it all back. Every last word. I'd give anything to have you here with me right now._

He felt the sting of tears but blinked them away. _I'm not some silly faggot like Emmett. I'm not going to cry my heart out and act like a child. I'm a grown man. _Taking another drink of beer, Brian leaned back on the couch, his eyes never leaving the pictures. How could they go from happy to miserable so fast? Why couldn't he have just admitted to Justin that he'd been wrong and apologized?

His gaze flicked to the phone lying on the coffee table. What if he called Justin and apologized? Snatching up the phone, Brian punched in Justin's number, knowing it by heart. It didn't ring, but went straight to voicemail. Brian's heart fell. He had wanted to talk to Justin in person, not leave a cold, impersonal message on his phone. And why wasn't his phone on? Didn't he want to talk?

Disappointed, Brian set the phone back down and grabbed a fresh beer. _Well, I guess I know whether or not he wants to work things out. And the worst part is, I deserve it. _Brian popped the cap on his new beer and downed the whole thing in one gulp. Justin was gone forever and there was nothing he could do about it. For the first time in a long time, Brian was completely helpless.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Justin gets to Canada. Michael comforts Brian.


	128. Despair

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin got into a huge fight. Justin took Brianna and went to stay with Mel and Linz.

Brian went to Babylon and tried to hook up with someone, but couldn't go through with it.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Seven

Through sheer force of will, Justin managed to make to drive up to Toronto. He was so preoccupied with his pain that he forgot all about the fact that he had barely slept in a week. Before leaving, he had sat in the car for a minute, giving Brian enough time to ask him to stay. When the minute was up, Justin started the car with tears in his eyes. _I really did screw things up. He doesn't want me to stay and I can't blame him._ His hands trembling, he had put the Jeep in gear and left. He had been much too upset to even take a final look back at the home that Brian had bought for them back when they had both been happy. It only would've made matters harder for him.

He had considered calling his mother just to let her know where he was, but decided against it. Telling someone else would make it real. Until then, he could just pretend that it was all a bad dream and when he woke up, he and Brian would both be in bed, happy._ And all of that could be happening if you hadn't had a temper tantrum and ruined everything._ He felt the hot sting of tears again but he no longer cared. Without Brian, he was nothing. Brian had made him everything he was––had been––who cared now if he cried? Considering that he had ruined not only his and Brianna's lives, but also Brian's, crying was definitely not the worst thing he could do. In fact, as far as he was concerned, he was entitled to it.

The long drive passed by in silence. Brianna was fast asleep in her car seat and Rage was silently watching through the grate of his dog carrier. He had considered leaving the dog with Brian for the time being, but felt that that would just be another blow to him. Rage had been his Christmas present, he was Justin's responsibility. Using a map that Brian had bought him in case he should ever go anywhere alone, Justin was able to find his way to Canada. He'd never been there before by car and had no idea how to get there. He could've flown to Toronto, but then he wouldn't have a car once he got there and would have to rely on Melanie and Lindsay. It was bad enough that he would be squatting in their guest room; he didn't want to take advantage of their kindness any more than he absolutely had to. And who knew? Maybe after he told them what had transpired between him and Brian, they would decide that it was best if he didn't stay with them. They were, after all, Brian's friends first and Justin could hardly blame them.

Once he got into Toronto, he followed the familiar streets to Melanie and Lindsay's house. Each time that he had come with Brian, he had looked out the cab window and memorized the street names so that he could find his own way there should anything ever happen. _If I didn't know better, I'd think that all of this was planned or something. Like it was written in the stars. _He laughed bitterly. If things were meant to end up like they had, why had he met Brian in the first place? Surely both he and Brian would be much happier if they had never met in the first place. At least then they wouldn't be dealing with the heartache they were dealing with now.

Lindsay was waiting outside for him, sitting on the porch. As he pulled into the driveway, he killed the engine and just stared at the front of the house through the windshield. He couldn't make his legs move. He couldn't get out of the car. Not yet. After a few seconds, Lindsay got up and got into the passenger seat. "Hey," she said softly.

"Hi." Justin managed to tear his eyes away from the house and met Lindsay's gaze. Her jaw was clenched and her eyes were wide with pity.

"Are you okay?" she asked, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Honestly?" Justin chewed his lip. "I couldn't be further from okay."

"What happened?"

"Can we not talk about it?"

"Sure." Lindsay rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"Thanks."

"You look tired," Lindsay noted.

"I am."

"When was the last time you slept?"

"I don't know," Justin admitted.

Lindsay opened her door. "Come on inside. It's hot out here and we need to keep the baby cool."

"Oh, yeah." Justin had completely forgotten about Brianna in the back. He was still in shock. Lindsay went over to Justin's door and opened it, helping him out.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered. Justin nodded, reaching in and unhooking Brianna's car seat from its base. "She's beautiful." It was the first time that Lindsay had seen Brianna in person.

"Yeah, she is." Justin couldn't bring himself to smile.

"Go on in, I'll get your stuff."

"You don't have to..."

"It's fine." She grabbed Justin's bags. "Dinner's almost ready, if you're hungry."

"To be honest, I don't even know."

"When was the last time you ate?"

"Yesterday?" Justin pondered that. He hadn't eaten at all that day, so the last time had to have been the night before when Brian had ordered the pizza. His stomach growled at the thought of food.

"You have to eat something."

"I don't know if I can."

"You can at least try."

When everything was inside, Lindsay led Justin upstairs to the guest room. "This is your room," she announced, setting his bags down.

"It's nice," Justin commented dryly.

"Thanks." Lindsay looked down at the dog carrier. "Rage has gotten so big."

"Yeah." Justin followed her gaze. "Where do you want me to put him?"

"He can go in the laundry room."

"Okay." Justin chewed his lip. "Where's Gus?"

"Melanie took him out to get some new shoes for school."

"So she's not working all the time anymore?"

"No. They finally broke her in. She works decent hours now."

"Good."

After getting settled in, they sat down at the table. Lindsay put a bowl of soup in front of him. "That should be easy on your stomach."

"Thanks." Idly, Justin picked up his spoon and started to eat. He didn't even taste the food.

"After dinner, I think you should go lay down," Lindsay suggested.

"I can't," he replied. "The baby."

"I'll take care of her."

"It's not your job," Justin protested.

"Please?"

"I guess I could use a quick nap."

"Yeah, you could." Lindsay gave his hand a tight squeeze.

Before Justin could finish eating, the front door opened and Melanie and Gus came in. "Linz, we're home," Melanie called.

"In here," Lindsay replied. She shot Justin a look. He looked down at his hands.

"Hey, honey..." Mel stopped. "Justin, I didn't know you were going to be here."

"Neither did I," Justin confessed.

"Justin!?" Gus came running into the kitchen, grinning.

"Hey, Gus," Justin said less than enthusiastically.

"Is Daddy here, too?" Gus asked excitedly.

"No, honey, he's at home," Lindsay interjected.

"Why is Justin here and not daddy?"

"Your dad had to work," Justin lied.

"What's going on?" Melanie murmured in Lindsay's ear.

"I don't know," Lindsay whispered back.

"I'm going to go lie down," Justin announced, standing up.

"I'll take care of your bowl," Lindsay offered. Justin nodded and went up the stairs.

* * *

He managed to snag a few hours of sleep. But it was not peaceful sleep. He dreamt about Brian. In the dream, he went back to walked in on Brian fucking another guy in his studio. _"You didn't think I was going to wait around for you, did you?" Brian asked, pumping away at the guy who's face was somehow out of focus._

"_No," Justin admitted._ _He could feel bile rising from his stomach. _

"_Well?" Brian prompted. "What the fuck are you still doing here? I've moved on, it's time that you did, too."_

"_Yeah," the guy agreed. As Justin stared at his face more intently, it revealed itself. The guy was Michael. "He's always loved me more than you, Boy Wonder. How could you not have known?" Brian and Michael started to laugh wickedly as Brian fucked Michael faster, his climax nearing._

Justin jolted awake. His heart was racing and he was drenched with sweat. "It was a dream," he whispered, mopping at his brow. "Just a dream." Sighing, he pulled the covers back and got out of bed. He could hear Melanie and Lindsay conversing softly in the living room. _They're probably trying to figure out what's going on,_ he guessed, going down the stairs. Lindsay looked up at the sound of his feet on the stairs.

"Hey," she said. "Do you feel better now?"

"A little," Justin confessed, sitting down on the couch between Mel and Linz. "Where's Brianna?"

"She's asleep," Lindsay replied. "I didn't want to disturb you so I put her in our room."

"Justin," Melanie began. "This is probably none of our business, but what's going on?"

"We're worried about you," Lindsay quickly added.

"It's okay," Justin assured them. "You have a right to know."

Taking a deep, calming breath he began. "Brian and I got into a huge fight this morning. We were both tired. The baby's been sick all week and hasn't been sleeping well. Last night, we made plans to go out to Babylon, but I decided to stay home. Brian went anyway. I freaked out and called him an immature, selfish prick."

"Sounds about right," Melanie muttered.

"Mel!" Lindsay hissed.

"What!? That was pretty shitty thing to do. He's an ass"

"No!" Justin growled, glaring at Melanie. "He's not an ass. I'm the ass."

"Sorry." Melanie guiltily dropped her eyes.

"And then I..." Justin's voice broke as the tears came again. "I took the promise ring he gave for Valentine's Day and threw it at him. I told him I didn't want it. I packed up my stuff and left."

"And he didn't even try to stop you?" Lindsay asked, astonished.

"No." Justin sniffled. "He said I had to do what makes me happy." He started to sob uncontrollably. "I fucked it up," he cried, his body shaking.

Melanie and Lindsay both put their arms around him, holding him tightly. "It's going to be okay," Lindsay whispered, looking to Melanie with concern in her eyes.

"We promise," Melanie added, frowning. Was that a promise they could keep?

* * *

Back in West Virginia, Brian sat in the den, the coffee table full of empty beer bottles. He had started sometime after he had gotten home. Unable to deal with the pain, he had turned to the only solution that he knew: alcohol. Hours later, the pain had pleasantly dulled and he shuffled around the house barely conscious. If Justin had left him a couple of years back, he would've gone out to Babylon, gotten drunk and high on anything he could get his hands on and found some hot guy to fuck in the back room. But he was a different person now, thanks to Justin. _Justin._ For a second, he could feel the pain again. _More beer._ He opened up another bottle of beer and took a sip. _This is what every day of the rest of my life is going to like, _he thought despondently. He looked down at the wedding picture of himself and Justin, gently stroking Justin's image. _I'm so sorry, Sunshine. Come back to me, please._

He heard the front door open and close. _Who the fuck could that be?_ he wondered, craning his neck to see. Michael came into the room, smiling. "Hey," he said cheerfully.

"Hey, Mikey," Brian slurred.

"Are you drunk?" Michael asked, knitting his brows.

"Uh huh." Brian giggled. "Come sit with me."

"Okay..." Michael sat down next to Brian, watching him closely.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Brian queried, taking another sip of his beer.

"I came over here to give you this." He handed Brian his cell phone. "You left it at Babylon last night."

"Thanks, Mikey."

Michael's gut twisted up nervously. He hadn't seen Brian as bad as he was now since Justin had been hospitalized after getting bashed. Brian had turned to drugs and alcohol to alleviate his pain. Michael was starting to worry. Brian wouldn't be behaving like he was if something wasn't wrong, and where the hell were Justin and the baby? "Brian?" he asked tentatively.

"Yeah?" Brian looked up from his beer bottle. His eyes were barely focusing. Shit, he was completely wasted.

"Is everything okay?"

"Everything's great." Brian chuckled to himself.

"Where's Justin?"

"Justin?" Brian's eyes grew misty.

"Where's Justin?" Michael repeated, softer.

"He's gone, Mikey."

"Gone?" Michael frowned. Where would Justin have gone? "When will he be back?"

"He's not coming back."

"What!?" Michael's heart started to hammer in his chest. "What happened?"

Brian met his gaze. "I fucked up, Mikey. It's all my fault."

"What's all your fault?"

"He left because of me, just like you said. Who wouldn't?"

"Brian, that was over a year ago," Michael gently reminded him. He felt bad for even saying it in the first place.

"So?"

"So why did he leave?"

"Because I–I..." Brian's voice cut off.

"You didn't fuck someone else, did you?" Michael asked, sighing.

"I wish. Maybe then he'd forgive me. Maybe then we'd still be able to work things out."

"Brian, just tell me what happened."

"We got into a fight."

"About what?"

"Me going out to Babylon last night."

"Oh."

Michael had found it strange that Justin had been okay with Brian going out gallivanting while they had a sick baby at home. "I'm sure everything will be okay..."

"No it won't!" Brian cried, slamming his fist down on the sofa. "He left for good. It's over."

"Where did he go?"

"He went to stay with the munchers. He took the baby."

"I'm so sorry, Brian." Michael rubbed Brian's shoulder.

"It's my fault. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"It takes two people to end a marriage," Michael gently reminded him.

"He's not to blame," Brian insisted. "I am. All he did was stand up for himself."

"Maybe we should give him a call. I'm sure that after the long drive he's had some time to clear his head..."

"No. Leave him alone, Michael."

"But look at yourself! You're a fucking mess, Brian. He needs to know that."

"Now you're going to start up on me, too!?"

"No!"

Brian shook his head. "Go home, Michael. Go get tucked into bed with the Professor and go on living your merry little life."

"I'm not leaving you," Michael protested.

"Whatever." Brian finished his beer and reached for another. "I'm just gonna have another drink."

"No." Michael snatched the bottle of beer out of Brian's hand. "I am cutting you off!"

"Fuck you! You can't cut me off!"

"You're not pushing me away!" Michael continued, holding the bottle just out of Brian's reach.

"Like I did Justin?" Brian's anger dissipated. Tears sprung to his eyes and spilled down his cheeks. "Come here," Michael whispered, holding his arms out.

Brian leaned against Michael's chest and let the tears come. He didn't care anymore. Justin was gone. Everything that had ever mattered to him was gone. Who cared if he cried now? "I love him," Brian sobbed into Michael's chest.

"Shhh, I know." Michael stroked the top of Brian's head, gently rocking him back and forth like he would Jenny Rebecca.

"I love him," Brian repeated, his voice cracking.

"He loves you, too."

"Not anymore." Brian continued to cry, his body wracked with sobs. Michael just held him, fighting back tears of his own. It killed him to see his best friend is such a state. He was half tempted to call Justin up and bitch him out but knew that if he did, it would only make matters worse. So instead, he bit his tongue and did all he could: be there for Brian.

Eventually, Brian calmed down and rested his head in Michael's lap. "You should get some sleep," Michael advised. "You look beat."

"I am," Brian whispered.

"Why don't you go upstairs and get into bed? I'll be right up." Without another word, Brian did as he was told. Michael quickly called Ben and explained the situation to him. "I can't leave him like this," he said.

"I understand. He needs you," Ben assured him.

"Thanks for being so understanding."

"It's what I'm here for."

Michael went upstairs and found Brian lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. He climbed into bed next to him and put his arms around him. A few minutes later, Brian was asleep.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Michael rallies the guys together to get Justin back. Deb offers Brian some advice. Lindsay helps Justin see the bigger picture.


	129. A Helping Hand

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **With Justin gone in Toronto, Brian tried to move on, but couldn't go through with it. Instead, he got extremely drunk and cried on Michael's shoulder.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Eight

"You guys weren't there last night, you didn't see him," Michael said. He was having a three-way phone conversation with Ted and Emmett.

"Just how bad was he?" Emmett asked distractedly. He was working on clothes for his store.

"Terrible. He was an absolute mess."

"Give him a day or two, he'll be fine," Ted interjected.

"How can you say that!?" Michael demanded. "He's our friend!"

"Yeah, and when has he ever gone out of his way to be nice to me?"

"He gave you a promotion," Michael reminded him coolly.

"And a raise," Emmett added.

"Only because it suited his needs," Ted argued.

"Say what you want, Ted, but I'm not abandoning him."

"I'm not _abandoning _him."

"Well, it sure feels like it."

Michael sighed mournfully. Earlier that morning, he had woken up to find Brian on the other side of the bed staring at the wall. "Are you okay?" Michael had asked gently.

"What do you think?" Brian had replied numbly.

"Everything's going to okay, you'll see."

"Don't Mikey. Just...don't."

"Fine." Michael had sat up and looked at the clock. "Shit, I have to get going. If I want to catch the mid-morning rush, I have to open up the shop. Are you going to be okay here on your own?"

"I'll be fine."

"No more drinking," Michael had reiterated.

"No more drinking," Brian had agreed.

"I'll be back after work to check up on you. If you need anything give me a call, okay?"

"Yeah."

"Bye." Michael had bent down and kissed Brian on the forehead.

Ted was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "You're right. Brian's our friend, we should be more supportive."

"Maybe we can all stop by after work and sit with him," Emmett suggested.

"Oh, yeah, he'd love that." Ted scoffed.

"Well, what do you have in mind?" Emmett challenged.

"I don't know. He probably just wants to be left alone."

"That's not a good idea," Michael insisted. "I found him there last night drunk out his mind. He could barely walk or hold his head up, and he was talking really weird."

"How so?" Emmett queried.

"I don't know how to explain it exactly, but I asked him what was wrong and he told me that Justin had left because of him and asked 'who wouldn't?' "

"So?"

"That's what I said to him that night he came over drunk and accused me of infecting Justin and ruining their relationship."

"I'm sure he just meant that he blames himself for Justin leaving," Emmett assured him. "Don't freak out and think he's losing his mind."

"Isn't he?"

No one said anything for a few seconds. "What about you, Michael?" Ted asked finally. "Do you have any suggestions about how we can all be loving, supporting friends?"

"Well..." Michael began. He had stayed up late the night before trying to figure it all out, and an idea had come to him, but it was pretty out there.

"Well, what?"

"We could go up to Toronto and convince Justin to come back," Michael blurted.

"I don't think so," Ted said.

"It's none of our business," Emmett agreed.

"It was none of Justin's business when he went to Calvin and invited him to the wedding so the two of you could get back together," Michael reminded him.

Emmett let that sink in for a second. Justin _had_ gone out of his way to help a friend in need and for that, he owed him a debt of gratitude. "Okay, I'm in," he relented.

"Fine, I guess I'm in too," Ted muttered.

"So, when are we going?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Emmett groaned. "Why can't we just go tonight?"

"Because, I have to go home and spend some time with Ben so he doesn't think I've abandoned him. What's wrong with tomorrow?" Michael asked.

"I can't go."

"Why not?"

"I have to get ready for the opening."

"You're opening already?" Ted inquired. Emmett had just bought the store a few weeks back.

"I have to get the spring collection out as soon as possible."

"How can you already have the designs done?"

"I've had them done for years now, sweetie. I just have to make the clothes now."

"How's that going?"

"Let's just say that my hands haven't been this busy since that time I had to fill in for Sheba and be the judge for the big dick contest at Babylon."

"Ouch."

Michael rolled his eyes even though Ted and Emmett couldn't see. "What about you Ted?"

"I can't either."

"What's your excuse?"

"Blake and I are moving into the new place this weekend."

"You're moving in already?" Emmett asked snidely.

"Very funny, Em. The owners were willing to leave early, so we decided to move in"

"Come on!" Michael exclaimed. "What's more important?"

"Fine," Ted and Emmett said in unison. "We'll go."

"Good, now we just have to talk Brian into going." That was going to take some doing.

* * *

After Michael had left, Brian lay in bed for a while, thinking. He felt like shit thanks to his actions the previous night. _I'm never doing that again,_ he decided. He would rather feel the pain than dull it and wake up feeling like he'd been hit by a mack truck. His stomach rumbled––not with hunger––and he ran into the bathroom, barely getting there in time for his vomit to make it into the toilet. _Definitely never doing that again._ The other reason he didn't want to get so shit faced again that he was numb to everything was that it made him feel bad, like he'd dishonored Justin's memory or something. _If Justin could see me now he'd be so disgusted. There's no way he'd ever take me back._

When he had gotten his stomach under control, he took a quick shower. Normally, he felt much better after getting clean, but today, he felt worse. Brian could wash the grime off of his body, but he couldn't wash away the disgust he felt deep down. He dried off and brushed his teeth, making sure to use extra mouth wash to get rid of the nasty residual taste in his mouth. He threw on some clothes and grabbed his leather jacket, the one that Justin had gotten him for his birthday. As he passed the bedside stand, he saw his cell phone. He had left it at Babylon the other night and hadn't checked his messages the night before. Maybe Justin had left a message. Eagerly, Brian turned the phone on and impatiently tapped his toes as he waited for the tell-tale sign. After a few seconds, the pop-up message came: ONE VOICE MESSAGE. Chewing his lip, Brian dialed the voice mail number and waited. "Hi, Brian, it's Daphne. I've been trying to get a hold of Justin but he won't pick up. Can you have him call me? Thanks." Brian's heart sank.

"I have to get out of here," he mumbled, going out the door and getting into his car. He

couldn't stay at the house any longer, it was driving him crazy. If he could get away for only a few hours, then maybe he'd feel a little better. _But where to go?_

As if he were a puppet on strings, Brian found himself on the highway to Pittsburgh. It was the only place he could go. Hopefully, Michael hadn't blabbered to everyone who would listen about what had happened. He didn't want the sympathy. It wouldn't change things. It wouldn't bring Justin back. Nothing would. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and turned up the volume on the radio, hoping to drown out the cacophony in his head. He clenched his jaw as "You Are My Sunshine," blared from the speakers. Angrily, he turned the radio of.. _Of all the songs they just _had_ to choose that one, didn't they!?_ He waited for the sting of tears but they didn't come. He was cried out. _It's probably for the best,_ he reasoned. _I don't want to make a goddamn fool of myself again._

Brian pulled up down the street from the Liberty Diner. He needed something to eat and didn't feel like going anywhere else. The diner was familiar, comforting. More than anything, he needed to be somewhere familiar and comforting. He needed to get Justin out of his head, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't. Getting out of the car, he walked down the sidewalk and into the diner. A quick glance around told him that his friends weren't there. _Thank God._ He did not want to deal with Emmett and Ted. If Michael hadn't already told them, they would ask questions like 'Where's Justin?' and Brian was not up to answering such questions.

Brian took a seat at the counter and caught the waitress's eye. It wasn't Deb. "Coffee?" he murmured.

"Coming right up, Brian," Amy, the waitress, said with a warm smile.

"Thanks." Casting a suspicious look over his shoulder to make sure that Deb wasn't lingering around somewhere, he opened up the newspaper and pretended to read it. The sound of a coffee mug being set down brought his attention back to reality. "Thanks," he repeated. He looked up and froze.

"You're welcome, kiddo," Deb said, taking the stool next to Brian's.

"Deb," Brian muttered, taking a sip of his coffee.

"How are you?" Debbie asked, chewing her gum thoughtfully.

"Fabulous."

"You sure as hell don't look it."

"Yeah? And how do I look?"

"Like you've been run over by a truck a couple hundred of times."

"You know, that's _just _the look I was going for," Brian replied sarcastically.

Debbie grabbed his hand. "I know," she said simply. Her lips were pulled down into a frown.

"Know what?" Brian mentally kicked himself for letting Michael see him in the state he had been in the night before. Why did he have to tell everyone!?

"I know about, Sunshine," Debbie continued.

"I knew I shouldn't have told Michael." Brian scoffed.

"Don't be mad at him. He's just worried about you."

"I'll be fine," Brian insisted.

"Doesn't sound like it. I heard you were a goddamn mess last night."

"So I had a few too many beers..."

"You were dulling the pain." Deb looked him in the eye. "Weren't you?"

"Yeah," he admitted, heaving a huge sigh.

"Tell me what happened."

Brian chewed his lip. "We got into a fight and said some horrible things. He decided to leave."

"And you just let him go?"

"What choice did I have, Deb? It was what he wanted."

"So, if he wanted to start eating pussy you'd let him do that?"

"You don't understand!"

"I'm trying." Debbie squeezed his hand. "I really am, kiddo."

"I accused him of wanting to fuck someone else, and...I told him he was too involved with the baby."

"Is that all?"

"I basically called him a spoiled brat."

"Well, we both know that Sunshine is a bit of a brat when he wants to be, but he's also a sweetheart."

"Yeah," Brian admitted, his heart swelling.

"And what did he call you?"

"Immature and selfish."

"Eh." Brian glowered at her. "You still love him, don't you?" Deb scrutinized his face.

"It doesn't matter."

"Say it."

"Yes." Brian averted his gaze again.

"Then go get him."

"What!?" Brian scoffed.

"I saw you two on your wedding day. There was so much love in your eyes. Don't let that go just because you two had a little fight. If relationships were easy, we wouldn't treasure them."

"He doesn't want anything to do with me," Brian whispered.

"Then you make him want something to do with you," Debbie insisted. "He still loves you, Brian."

"That's not what he said."

"Fuck what he said! We all say things that we don't mean when we're angry."

Brian looked back up at Debbie. "Go get him?" he asked, a smile tugging at his lips for the first time since he had gone to Babylon.

"Go get him," Debbie reiterated.

* * *

In Toronto, Justin came down the stairs, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Miraculously, he had gotten a full night's sleep and felt a little better. He had been disappointed when he woke up in Mel and Linz's guest room. _It wasn't a dream,_ he'd thought crestfallenly. _It really happened and now it's over. _He didn't have the slightest idea what he was going to do with his life. He couldn't stay with Mel and Linz forever, and moving back in with his mother, Tucker, and Molly would be just too awkward. _There's always Daphne..._She'd love having the baby living with her. _Why did I have to go and fuck everything up!?_

Lindsay came around the corner and smiled. "How are you feeling?" she asked, handing him a cup of hot tea.

"Better. Thanks." He took a sip of the hot contents and grimaced as it burned his throat.

"Did you sleep okay?'

"Great. That's the first night all week that I've slept for more than an hour."

"I know exactly how you feel." Lindsay nodded knowingly. "I went through that with Gus."

"How did you and Melanie manage to not rip each other's heads off?"

"It took a lot of self-discipline."

"I obviously don't have that." Justin sat down on the couch and held the steaming mug between his hands to warm them.

"You can't blame yourself," Lindsay murmured, putting her hand on Justin's knee. "Couples fight."

"Yeah, but they don't do what I did." Justin's voice caught in his throat as he relived the moment when he had thrown the ring at Brian for the billionth time since it had happened.

"Sure they do. It could be worse, at least you didn't hit him."

"I wanted to," Justin admitted. "I was so angry."

Melanie came down the stairs with Brianna in her one arm and JR in the other. "Look, honey, there's daddy," she cooed.

"Is she okay?" Justin asked, standing up.

"Just a little fussy. She probably just misses you."

"Come here." Justin took Brianna and she immediately calmed down. "Thanks for taking care of her, Mel."

"It was my pleasure. I've forgotten how much fun taking care of a baby is."

"Fun?" Justin cocked an eyebrow.

"Let's just leave it at that," Melanie joked. She turned to Lindsay. "Did Gus get off to school okay?"

"Yeah. He wanted to stay home and see Justin." Justin met Lindsay's gaze. "I told him you were sick."

"I feel so bad for him," Justin admitted. "How is he going to take all this?"

"It doesn't have to be over, you know," Lindsay pressed. "It's not too late."

"To what, go back and grovel? I can't do that. Brian doesn't want me back. If he did, he would have stopped me from going."

"Maybe he was in shock," Melanie suggested. "I'm sure he never thought that you would leave him."

"Neither did I."

Justin put his head in his hands and sighed. "I am so lost right now," he confessed.

"You'll work things out," Lindsay soothed, rubbing Justin's back. "You and Brian are going to be just fine."

"I wouldn't count on it."

"Don't be ridiculous, you know he's crazy about you!"

"It would take more than one fight to change that," Melanie added. "I don't think there's anything that _could_ change that."

"You think?" Justin's heart did a little somersault in his chest. Maybe Melanie and Lindsay were right. Maybe if he went back and apologized, Brian would forgive and things could go back to the way they were before. He wanted that more than anything.

Lindsay grabbed his hand and held it up for him to see. "You wouldn't still be wearing this if you didn't want to go back to him," she said. Justin looked at his wedding ring. She had a point, if he had wanted to end his marriage, he certainly wouldn't have kept his ring on. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the promise ring. Smiling, he slipped it on.

"That's more like it," Melanie cheered, smiling warmly.

"Go back to him," Lindsay urged. "Give it one more chance."

"You owe yourself that much."

"Okay," Justin relented, laughing. "I'll go. But not today. The drive up here kicked my ass. Let me have one more day to rest up before I do it again."

"As long as you're going back, we don't mind," Melanie teased. "Not that we don't like having you here."

"Yeah, it's been..." Lindsay paused. "I'd say fun, but it hasn't, has it?"

"Not really." Justin giggled. "Thanks guys," he said, hugging both Mel and Linz. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"We'll always be here," Melanie promised.

"Do you think I should call him?" Justin asked.

"Surprise him," Lindsay advised. Justin nodded. Surprise him.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk:** Brian decides to go up to Toronto to ask Justin's forgiveness.


	130. A Day's Journey Into Nowhere

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Debbie convinced Brian to go to Toronto while Mel and Linz encouraged Justin to go back to West Virginia.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Nine

The next morning, Brian woke up early. He felt much better now that his hangover had gone away and he had actually managed to snag a few hours of sleep. He'd been too exhausted the night before to notice that Justin wasn't in the bed next to him. When he awoke, Brian lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Everything depended on what he said and did once he got to Toronto. If he couldn't appeal to Justin, it really would be over. And then what? How could he go on with his life after that? He wouldn't consider committing suicide, but the rest of his life looked dreary. There was no way he could ever be with anybody else like he had been with Justin. Maybe he'd sell the house. He had only bought it because Justin had wanted a country manor where he could work on his art. Everywhere Brian went, he saw the ghosts of the past. He saw specters of himself and Justin fucking in every room, or cuddling on the couch in den. He hadn't been able to bring himself to go into Justin's studio. Seeing the newly started family portrait would've gutted him even worse than he already had been.

When his alarm went off, Brian reached over and turned it off, unblinking. He had booked a flight to Toronto for nine o'clock. It was seven thirty. Even though he knew that he should get up and shower, Brian was rooted to the bed. What if he got to Canada and Justin didn't want to even see him? What if they got into another fight and made matters even worse? At least if he didn't go, he could pretend that there was actually a chance that Justin would take him back. Brian wasn't sure if he was ready to have that dream crushed. _If you don't go, Mikey and Deb will be breathing down your throat,_ he realized. _They'll make you go. It would be better if I just went and got it over with. And if things don't work out, I can tell them to fuck off and maybe they'll leave me to wallow in self-pity by myself._ Brian turned to look over at Justin's side of the bed. It had never looked so empty.

Brian could remember a time when he had had the bed to himself every night. He'd go out to Babylon and pick up some guy. They'd go back to the loft, fuck, and then the guy would be on his way. Brian would go to bed alone––happily––and the cycle would start all over again. He'd been happy then, at least, he had thought he'd been. If things hadn't changed, he wouldn't be in despair now. He'd be blissfully unaware of the pain of getting your heart broken. But then, he'd never know the true joys of being in love. And he certainly wouldn't know the contentment that he'd felt in the past year. Even though Justin was gone and he was miserable, he wouldn't trade it for anything. Having Justin for even a short while was better than not having it at all. Brian just wished that it wasn't over.

Mustering up all of his willpower, Brian forced himself to get out of bed. He shuffled into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't look as shitty as he had the other day, but he definitely wasn't looking his best. He had dark circles under his eyes and most importantly, the light that had previously shown from within his eyes was gone. Gone like Justin. Sighing, Brian turned away from his reflection and stripped naked. For a second, he closed his eyes and willed Justin to come up behind him and softly kiss his back, reaching down to his erection. Brian had almost gotten his lips to smile when the fantasy ended. He could hear his cell phone ringing. _Who could that be?_ he wondered. Turning the shower off, Brian padded back into the bedroom, snatching up his cell phone before he missed the call. "Yeah?"

"Brian?" It was Michael.

"Hey."

"How are you holding up?"

"Get back to me tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Listen, I can't talk right now. I have somewhere to be at nine."

"Oh." Michael was silent. "Where are you going?"

"Out," Brian answered simply. He didn't want to tell Michael where he was going. If he did, Michael would insist on coming too and Brian did not feel like having a tag-along on this trip. He had to do it alone.

"Out?" Michael pressed.

"I'm going to..." Brian drew a deep breath, trying to come up with a lie. He looked down at the bedside stand and saw a condom. "I'm going grocery shopping."

"I think it's good that you're getting out of the house."

"Is that all?"

"I guess. Call me when you can, okay?"

"Yeah."

"Bye."

"Later."

Brian went back into the bathroom and got into the shower. What had Michael wanted? And why had he been so interested in Brian was doing? He was a big boy, he could take care of himself. Michael knew better than to even dream that Brian would want him to come over and play housewife. Weird. He stood under the showerhead and let the water ease the tension in his muscles. Who knew that depression could be so hard on the muscles?

Getting out of the shower, Brian dried himself off and wrapped the towel around his waist. Checking the time to make sure that he wouldn't miss his flight, Brian shaved and brushed his teeth. If he was going to see Justin, he didn't want to go looking like shit. That was no way to win him back. Maybe he'd order some Golden Gardenias––Justin's favorite––and have them sent to Melanie and Lindsay's house. _No,_ he decided. The flowers wouldn't get there in time. They only grew in China. By the time they got to Toronto, Brian would already have been there and back. _Why didn't I think of this last night!? You know what, it doesn't matter. Flowers aren't going to change Justin's mind. _If he got Justin back, he promised to have some Golden Gardenias delivered to the house.

When he was sure that he was looking his absolute best, Brian grabbed his wallet and the plane ticket. He still had about hour to make his flight. As he went down the stairs, he heard the doorbell ring. _That better not be who I think it is,_ he insidiously. Opening the door, he clenched his jaw. Michael, Emmett, and Ted stood on his doorstep. "Hey," Michael said, pushing past Brian into the foyer. Ted and Emmett followed him.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Brian asked, slamming the door.

"We came to offer moral support," Ted explained.

"As you friends, we thought you could use some comfort," Emmett added.

"Don't be mad," Michael pleaded. "We only did it because we care about you."

"Whatever," Brian mumbled. "Listen, you guys have to go, I'm getting ready to leave soon."

"Deb told us where you're going," Emmett confessed.

"What?" Brian laughed.

"We know you're going to get Justin back," Ted elaborated.

"Do you Novotnys not know how to keep your goddamn mouths shut?" Brian demanded, glaring at Michael.

Michael took a step toward Brian and smiled. "We're going to come with you," he said.

"What for?" Brian tried to keep his anger in check. Without Justin, his friends were the only people left that he cared about.

"Back up." Emmett put an arm around Ted.

"I don't need back up."

"Sure you do. It'll be just like that time we all went to New York to bring Justin back. That went well, didn't it?"

"This is nothing like that time," Brian said definitively. "Justin didn't have a choice last time. This time he does."

"Like he'll say no."

"He might not, but I am." Brian met Emmett's gaze. "You guys aren't coming."

"I'm hiring people to sew my clothes for me so I can be treated like shit?" Emmett muttered to Michael and Ted.

"And Blake's moving our stuff by himself," Ted shot back

Brian rolled his eyes. "What are you still doing here? I told you to go."

"Why do you have to be so goddamn stubborn!?" Michael exclaimed. "We're just trying to help you."

"Because I don't need your help!" Seeing his friend's hurt expressions, Brian took a calming breath. "Look, I know that you guys are just trying to help and I appreciate it, really I do."

"You have a funny way of showing it," Emmett argued.

"I have to do this on my own, okay?" Brian caught Michael's eye. If anyone could understand him, it was Michael.

"Okay," Michael relented. "Come on, guys, let's go." He turned to open the door. There was no stopping Brian when he set his mind to something. Michael had learned that a long time ago.

"Wait," Brian called, chewing his lip.

"What?" Emmett and the others turned to look at him.

"I just want to say thanks." He scoffed, scratching his ear. "I know that I'm shitty to you guys sometimes." He looked at Ted particularly. "But that doesn't mean I don't...love you."

"Really?" Emmett asked, fighting back tears.

"Really," Brian confessed. "Besides Justin, you guys are the only other people I don't entirely hate. It's nice to know that I have such good friends."

"Wow, Bri, that was incredibly sentimental," Ted joked, blinking his own tears away. "I never knew you felt that way about us."

Brian fixed him with an icy glare. "Let's just keep this between us. I don't want everyone thinking I actually have a heart."

"There are worse things people could think," Michael assured him, smiling kindly.

"Yeah, I guess there are." Brian returned Michael's smile. "Now, will you all get the fuck out of here? I have a flight to catch."

"Of course." Emmett patted Brian on the arm amicably. "Go get our boy."

"Good luck," Ted added. He and Emmett left Brian and Michael alone.

"Any words of advice?" Brian joked.

"Just tell him how you feel. You're the love of his life, Brian. Nothing will ever change that."

"Thanks, Mikey." Brian pulled Michael close and kissed him. "I owe you one."

"Don't worry, I'm not collecting."

Brian watched Michael and the others leave. His friends had given him a boost of confidence. He and Justin had broken up a few times, and Justin had always come back in the end. He had hope that this time wouldn't be any different. The love they stared was too strong to wither and die. Setting his chin determinedly, Brian got into his car and fired up the engine.

* * *

Justin set his bags down by the door and looked over at Lindsay. She was feeding Brianna for him. "Thanks for doing this, Linz," he said. He felt bad that over the past few days, Melanie and Lindsay had taken care of his daughter more than he had.

"It's not a problem. I miss having an infant around to care for now that Jenny Rebecca is growing up."

"Have you and Mel talked about having another baby?"

"No!" Lindsay laughed. "We've decided to stop at two. With the economy the way it is, it just wouldn't be a good idea."

"I agree." Justin sat down next to Lindsay.

"What about you and Brian? Did you plan on having another?" As the words passed her lips, Lindsay wanted to smack herself. How could she have been so thoughtless? Justin frowned. "I'm sorry," Lindsay muttered, I shouldn't have asked you that."

"It's fine, Linz. And to answer your question, not as far as I know. Daphne probably wouldn't want to be the surrogate mother again and there's really no one else that we could get do it. Plus, it's like you said, the economy's so bad right now. I mean, we can barely find jobs, how are our children going to find them down the road?"

"Too bad more people weren't smart like us. I see all these people who keep having kid after kid and I just think, don't you realize how bad things are? Don't you ever think of the future?"

"Straight people," Justin joked, shaking his head sadly.

Lindsay stood up. "Can I get you something to eat?" she asked.

"I'm fine." Justin chewed his lip. "Shouldn't you be getting to work?"

"I took the day off," Lindsay explained.

"You didn't have to do that!"

"I know, but I wanted to actually spend some time with you before you go back. Who knows when we'll be back in Pittsburgh?"

"I just wish I was here under better circumstances." Justin set his jaw grimly.

"Me, too." Lindsay wished that Brian and Justin had never fought. After seeing how distraught Justin was, she couldn't imagine how Brian would be handling the situation. "So, when are you heading back?" she asked.

"I should probably get going." Justin lay Brianna down in her car seat. She was fast asleep.

"Already?"

"Sorry. I figure it would be best to start out early so that if I get there and things don't go as planned, I can come back if I have to."

"Are you nervous?" She took a step closer to Justin.

"A little," Justin admitted. "The worst part is going to be seeing him again. After what I said and did, I can't imagine that I'm someone he'd like to see."

"Don't think like that. Trust me, I know Brian pretty well. I bet he's going out of his mind without you."

Justin sighed. "Then why hasn't he called? I thought maybe he'd call and at least see how the baby is doing. But I haven't heard anything."

"I'm sure he's hurting just like you are. He probably thinks that you don't want anything to do with him."

"Why would he think that? He didn't do anything wrong! I'm the one that started the fight. He wanted to walk away but I wouldn't let him. I'm the one who said all of the mean, hurtful things. I'm the one who walked out on our marriage."

"You were upset," Lindsay soothed. "I've been there."

"You and Mel never fought that bad, did you?"

"We almost came to blows," Lindsay revealed.

"When?"

"A few days before the bombing at Babylon."

"Oh, my God."

"Yeah." Lindsay grimaced. "It got pretty ugly. Then somehow, we ended up making love on the dining room table."

"So you're saying that anything's possible?"

"Brian loves more than anything in the world, Justin. Don't you know that by now?"

"I thought I did."

"Trust your heart. That's the best advice I can give you."

"Thanks, Linz."

Justin embraced Lindsay, holding her tightly. He didn't know how would ever have made it through the last few days if it hadn't been for Lindsay and Melanie. "I owe you guys everything."

"You don't owe us anything," Lindsay whispered back. "You're part of our family."

"You don't know how reassuring that is." He laughed quietly.

"No matter what happens, Mel and I will always be here for you."

"Thanks." Justin pulled back and smiled. "Let's just hope the others don't turn on me."

"They won't. Well, Michael maybe, but Ted and Emmett won't hold it against you."

"Phew." Justin wiped his brow dramatically. He looked over at the baby and felt his heart swell. In a few hours' time, he would back home where he belonged. That is, as long as Brian would take him back. _Listen to Lindsay,_ he ordered himself.

"You said you wanted to get going," Lindsay reminded him gently.

"Yeah." Justin nodded. "I'm going to go get the car loaded up."

Lindsay watched Brianna while Justin took the bags out to the Jeep and got it warmed up. "Take care of your daddies," she whispered. "They love each other very, very much."

"All set," Justin announced, coming back into the house.

"Are you sure you aren't forgetting anything?" Lindsay asked helpfully.

"I'm sure." He smiled. "Well, I guess this is goodbye again."

"Yeah." Lindsay gave him a quick hug. "Call us when you get back, okay?"

"I will," Justin promised. He turned to leave. "Hey, Linz?"

"Yes?"

"If you hear from Brian...don't tell him where I am. I want to surprise him."

"Okay. What do you want me tell him?"

"Tell him..." Justin considered it for a moment. "Tell him I left and didn't tell you where I was going."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I doubt you'll hear from him, it's just in case."

"Anything else?"

"No. That's all." Justin met Lindsay's gaze. "Will you give my love to Melanie? And give Gus and Jenny a hug and kiss for me?"

"Of course."

"Okay, then. Bye."

"Bye." Lindsay watched as Justin put Brianna in the back and then got into the driver's seat. Waving, he pulled out of the driveway and headed back to West Virginia. _Please God, let him and Brian get back together,_ Lindsay prayed.

* * *

Brian was tapping his foot nervously as his plane touched down in Toronto. As he got closer and closer to Justin, he felt his anxiety growing. He'd never really been one for anxiety, but when it came to Justin, the rules were different. It was part of the reason that he loved him so much. There was no one else that could get under Brian's skin the way that Justin had. No one that could make his pulse quicken with just a look or a smile. _Can I just get off the goddamn plane now!?_ he silently screamed. Slowly, the plane unloaded, and Brian hurried out to the cab he had waiting for him. The driver was the same one he always had when he came to get Gus. Without needing to be told where to go, the driver started the car's engine and pulled into traffic.

Brian watched out the window, looking for any distraction to keep him from going crazy. When the cab pulled up outside of Lindsay and Melanie's house, Brian jumped out, signaling for the driver to wait. His heart started to hammer in his chest as he stepped up onto the porch and knocked on the door. What felt like an eternity, the door opened. Lindsay looked out and gasped.

* * *

**Author's Note: There's only three more chapters! Don't miss the finale that you've been waiting two years for.**

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Brian learns that Justin isn't in Torontp and returns home dejectedly.


	131. Reunited?

**Previously On Queer As Folk:** Deb convinced Brian to go after Justin at the same time that Mel and Linz convinced Justin to give Brian another chance.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Thirty

"Well?" Brian prompted, staring Lindsay down. "Aren't you going to say hi or invite me in?"

"Shit," Lindsay whispered. What was Brian doing on the porch!?

"What?" Brian arched a quizzical eyebrow.

"Come in," Lindsay said, opening the door wider.

"Thanks." Brian stepped in and turned to face Lindsay. "I think you know why I'm here."

"To see Justin?"

"Yeah. So, where is he?"

"He's not here."

"He's not?"

"No." Lindsay pointed out to the driveway. Brian looked and noticed for the first time that Justin's Jeep was not there. He'd been in such a rush to see Justin again that he hadn't noticed before.

"Where did he go?" Brian asked, his tone desperate.

"I-I don't know," Lindsay lied, chewing her lip.

"Don't bullshit me, Lindsay."

"Honestly, he left this morning without a word."

"Damn it!" Brian clenched his jaw.

Lindsay grabbed her purse from the table by the door. "Look, I'm sorry to run out on you like this, but I have to go get some groceries."

"Can't it wait?" Brian pleaded.

"Of course." Lindsay sighed and led Brian into the living room. "Would you like something to eat or..."

"I'm fine." Brian sat down on the couch, his gaze locked on Lindsay.

"Okay." Lindsay sat down next to him, wringing her hands nervously. She felt bad about lying to Brian. He had always been a good friend to her and keeping this secret from him felt like a great betrayal.

"So, you did see him?" Brian continued his barrage of questioning.

"He came here after...after..."

"We fought."

"Yeah."

"How was he?"

"Upset."

"Upset as in pissed or upset as in depressed?"

"I don't know."

"Lindsay please."

Lindsay had never seen Brian so upset in all the time that she had known him. If it hadn't been apparent before, it definitely was now: Brian was madly in love with Justin. That made her heart leap. Then there was a chance that they would be able to work things out and get back together. She hated seeing both of them so downtrodden. "Upset as in depressed," Lindsay relented.

"Really?" Brian's tone was hopeful.

"He blames himself for the fight."

"It wasn't his fault, it was mine. I was the one who was thoughtless and left him home alone with a sick baby," Brian argued.

"He thinks that you hate him and want nothing to do with him."

"What!? That's insane! I came here to get him back. I can't live without him, Linz."

"I know, Brian." Lindsay rubbed his shoulder.

"But what am I going to do now? If he's not here and you don't know where he is...how am I going to find him?"

"You could try calling his cell," Lindsay suggested.

Brian shook his head. "I've tried that already. He's always got the damn thing off."

"Oh." Well that would explain why Justin had heard from Brian in the past few days.

"I need to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me," Brian continued.

"Of course."

"Do you think there's even a slight chance that he'd forgive me?"

"Brian, he would come back to you in a minute. It's all he talked about when he was here. How guilty he felt and how much he wished he could take it all back so he never would've caused you so much pain." Brian's face lit up.

"Well, I've caused him more than my fair share of pain."

"That comes with the territory," Lindsay assured him. "But if you really love each other, you'll get past it."

"I do," Brian said seriously. "I love him."

"I know."

"So, what should I do?"

Brian stood up and started to pace. He was wracking his mind for places that Justin would go. He'd left his passport at the house, so he wasn't going anywhere out of the United States or Canada. He had no relatives outside of Pittsburgh and he had nowhere to go in New York. Could he have gone to L.A.? Justin had confessed that he had had a great time in L.A. working on the film adaption of _Rage_. Maybe he'd gone there to look for work? And why had he left without telling Melanie and Lindsay where he would be? Something wasn't adding up.

"Maybe you should go home," Lindsay suggested softly. "Maybe he'll try to reach you there."

"I doubt it. Besides, if he can't get a hold of me, he'd try Deb or Michael."

"And they'd let you know." Lindsay wished that she could just tell Brian where Justin was. It killed her to see him so uncharacteristically on edge.

"Do you think he went to Los Angeles?" Brian asked, still deep in thought.

"I doubt it." Los Angeles? Brian was really over thinking this. _He's lost the love of his life,_ Linz reminded herself.

"Where else would he go?"

"I have no idea. He left before I got up this morning."

"Maybe he told Melanie?"

"No. He was gone before she left for work."

"Fuck." Brian exhaled sharply. "Would you call him for me?" he asked, sitting back down next to her on the couch.

Lindsay grimaced. What would she do if she called Justin and he picked up? She didn't want to lie to Brian any more than she already had. But how could she say no? "I'll give it a try," Lindsay yielded, fishing her cell phone out of her purse. She found Justin in her contact's list and connected.

Brian sat forward and clasped his hands in his lap. His nervous energy was making Lindsay's stomach knot up. The phone went straight to voice mail. _Thank God. _"It went right to voice mail," she revealed, handing the phone out to Brian. He snatched it from her hand and held it to his ear.

"Goddamn it!" he growled, slamming his hand down the couch. What the fuck was he going to do!?

"Calm down," Lindsay whispered.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Brian shouted, shrugging her hand off.

"You're right, I'm sorry." Lindsay meekly looked down at her feet like a chastised child. Brian felt a stab of guilt.

"I'm sorry," Brian apologized, lifting her chin with his finger. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. It isn't your fault that Justin and I are where we are. It's mine."

"You know, you blame yourself and he blames himself. Maybe you two should stop playing the blame game and just think about what you both want."

Brian chewed his lip "I want him," he said simply. "My life is shit without him."

"He feels the same way." Lindsay massaged her temples. She felt a stress headache coming on. "Look, why don't you go home and see if he's there and if I hear from him, I'll give you a call."

"I guess that's as good an idea as any," Brian mumbled, defeated. He sincerely doubted that Justin was waiting for him at home, but it was worth a shot.

"Let me know what happens."

"Sure.' Brian smiled tightly. "I appreciate it, Lindsay."

"Don't mention it." Lindsay gave him a quick hug. "Good luck, Peter."

"Thanks, Wendy." Brian pressed his lips against Lindsay's. "Give Gus a hug for me?"

"Of course. You're still coming to get him next weekend?"

"No matter what happens with Justin and I, I'm not going to turn my back on Gus," Brian said emphatically.

"I didn't doubt it for a second." Lindsay grabbed her purse. "Well, I'd better go get the groceries now. Before I know it, it'll be time to go pick up Gus and he hates shopping with me."

"That's my boy."

As Brian made his way to the cab still waiting at the curb, he turned back to Lindsay. "When did you get a car?" he asked.

"A couple of months ago," Lindsay explained. "I saved up enough to get myself a Prius."

"Nice." Waving, Brian got into the waiting cab.

"Bye." Lindsay watched as the cab pulled away and cruised down the street, turning the corner out of sight. _It's too bad that Brian didn't come later, _she thought. Justin still wouldn't be back home by the time Brian got there. He still had a couple more hours of driving ahead of him. _And I can't even call and warn him!_ She tried Justin's cell again but he didn't pick up. Why would Justin leave his cell phone off at a time like this? _I guess there's nothing I can do but sit and wait,_ Lindsay decided. She wasn't going to try to hunt Justin down and she certainly wasn't going to call Brian and confess that she actually knew where Justin was. _Please, God, let them get back together,_ she pleaded.

The cab made its way––tantalizingly slowly––back to the airport. _Let him be back at the house, _Brian prayed. If he got home and the house was empty, he didn't know what he'd do. His heart would break all over again and then he'd start to panic. If he wasn't headed back to West Virginia or Pittsburgh, where would Justin go? He knew that Brian would still want to see Brianna. _Brianna._ His stomach plummeted. He hadn't spent a whole day away from their daughter since the day that she'd been born. He'd been so upset about Justin leaving that he'd overlooked their daughter. _What kind of father does that make me? _he pondered.

When the airport loomed before the cab, Brian got out and threw a wad of cash at the driver. He hadn't counted out how much money he'd given him, but he didn't care. If Justin and the baby weren't at home, nothing else mattered. He'd always have money; he wouldn't always have the love of his life. _Look, I know that I don't really talk to you all that much, _Brian thought, looking skyward, _but I really need your help. I need him in my life. I need him safe with me. I need for us to be together. What else do I have to live for?_ _Anyway, thanks for listening. _Squaring his shoulders, Brian rushed back into the airport. Luck seemed to be on his side. There was a flight for Pittsburgh leaving in ten minutes.

* * *

Before Justin had gotten more than ten minutes from Melanie and Lindsay's house, his stomach started to rumble. _Oh, come on!_ he thought, rolling his eyes. _This couldn't have happened while I was still there? _He tried to ignore it, but the more he ignored it, the more his stomach rumbled. Then came the wave of nausea. _Damn it._ Justin saw a McDonald's and pulled in. _It's a good think Brian's not here,_ Justin thought sourly, _he'd be lecturing me about eating fast food. Then he'd make me hit the StairMaster when we got home. _Even though he was glad that he didn't have to listen to Brian nagging him about his eating habits, he wished more than anything that Brian was there with him. It was worth a little nagging.

As he waited for his food, Justin started to think about what was ahead of him. What if, after making the drive back to West Virginia, Brian turned him away? Not only would he be embarrassed, he would also be utterly devastated. Especially after Melanie and Lindsay had given him their assurances that Brian loved him more than anything and was probably a mess without him. _He managed for twenty-nine years before he met me,_ Justin reminded himself. He couldn't exactly picture Brian reverting to his former club-boy persona––not at his age––but anything was possible. And that would be the fatal stab to his heart: learning that Brian was back fucking everything that moved. That would prove that Justin really had meant nothing to him.

The food arrived and Justin quickly ate it, not wanting to waste any time. He had a few hours' worth of driving ahead of him and preferred to do it when the traffic was still light. Looking back at the Brianna, Justin couldn't help but smile. No matter what happened between him and Brian, he would always be thankful for the beautiful kids that they had together. He'd still see Brian when Brianna went to stay with him for the weekend or the summer. _I never thought in a million years that I'd be splitting custody of the baby with Brian,_ Justin lamented. _Now I know how Melanie, Lindsay, and Michael felt._

As he finished his lunch, Justin started his journey again. Lunch hadn't taken long and if luck was on his side, he'd still miss the rush hour traffic. _I should probably get my cell phone out,_ he mused, _just in case I need to get in touch with anyone._ One hand on the wheel, Justin dug his cell out of his pocket and flipped it open. Quickly, he glanced down at the blank screen. _That's weird,_ he thought, furrowing his brow. He'd recharged the battery not too long ago, it couldn't be dead already. He hit the on button just to be sure and laughed. _Well, that would explain why I haven't heard from Brian._ His phone had been off since before he'd left West Virginia. Brian could have called a dozen times in past few days and Justin wouldn't have known. The phone lit up and he waited to see if he had any messages. Because the phone had been off, he wouldn't know if he had any missed calls, but he would get a message alert if he had a voice mail. _There's got to be at least one from Brian, right? Even if he doesn't want to talk to me, he'll want to know how Brianna is doing._

After a few minutes, it was apparent that he didn't have any messages. Brian hadn't called, at least, he hadn't left a voice mail. _Well I guess that settles that._ Sighing, Justin threw the phone into the passenger seat. He couldn't look at it. It was just one more reminder that he'd fucked up the best thing in his life and would never get it back. Looking out the window, he considered turning around and going back to Melanie and Lindsay's house. They had said that he could stay with them for as long as he wanted, Brian would come eventually to pick up Gus. _No!_ he decided, staying the course. He needed to do this, and now. If Brian didn't want him back, he needed to know sooner rather than later so that he could get closure. Besides, if he went back, Melanie would probably force him to go talk to Brian. He still needed to pick up the rest of his clothes anyway, so either way, the trip wouldn't be wasted.

To pass the time, Justin thought back on all of the good times that he and Brian had shared over the last year: the night he had come back to Pittsburgh when he'd surprised Brian and they'd made love all night. The trip to Paris that had been the adventure of a lifetime. The wedding, the happiest day of his life. Spending time with Gus at the loft. The honeymoon to Italy. Moving into the new house. The whole summer when they'd really gotten time to bond with Gus. The birth of Brianna. They had had some good times, too many to count. In a relationship spanning nearly six years, they had done so much and Justin wouldn't take back even a second of it for anything. He would always love Brian, nothing would change that. And if Brian didn't want him back at first, Justin would not give up. He would keep on trying until Brian loved him again. He'd done it once before and it had been successful. This time wouldn't be any different because he was nothing without Brian. His life was empty and meaningless. If it weren't for the kids, he wouldn't have a single thing to live for. Brian had become his everything.

Justin reached over for his cell phone again and searched through his contact's list until Brian's name was highlighted. _Should I call him? _he wondered, his finger poised over the connect button. If he called Brian now, what would happen? Would he tell Justin not to bother coming back? At least if he waited until he was at the house, Brian couldn't tell him not to bother coming back. _No,_ he decided, flipping his phone closed. _Don't ruin the surprise._ He looked at the clock and heaved a soft sigh. Two more hours and he would be back at home. Was he ready for it? Justin wasn't sure. But he was sure that he was ready to patch things up with Brian and spend the rest of his life making it up to him. A smile tugged at Justin's lips as he visualized how he was going to seek repentance. There was no way that Brian would be able to deny him.

* * *

Disappointingly, Brian had come home to an empty house. Strangely, the tears didn't come. He'd expected to at least tear up, but apparently he'd used them all up. He didn't even feel pain this time around. He just felt...empty. Void. Going into the bedroom, he started to pack Justin's stuff up. Surely, he would come back for it and seeing his things in the bedroom wasn't going to help Brian come to terms with Justin's choice. He stopped when he found a sketch that Justin had done awhile back. It was of him and Brian smiling happily, arms around each other. Gently running his finger over the drawing, Brian smiled. No matter what, he would get Justin back. Even if it took him the rest of his life, he would do it. Because without Justin, his life lacked...sunshine. The sunshine that he needed to keep warm and to grow as a person. His own personal sunshine. _I'll always love you, Sunshine,_he thought, grinning down at Justin in the sketch.

A few hours later, he went down into the den and started a fire in the fireplace. It was all that he could do now that the house was empty. His friends were all off living their own lives and there he was in his palace. Alone. On the coffee table, a bottle of scotch sat seductively. After the day he had had, Brian wanted to open it up and drown his sorrows. But he didn't. Running away from his problems wasn't going to make them go away. He had to deal with them like a mature, responsible adult. If for no other reason than to prove to himself and to Justin that he could be one. He grabbed the bottle of scotch and carried it into the kitchen. Opening up the cabinet under the sink, he dropped the bottle into the trash. Smiling proudly, he went back into the den and curled up by the fire. The house was freezing, but he couldn't bring himself to turn off the AC. He liked the cold, now that Justin was gone, it was the only thing to keep him company. At least until Gus came next weekend, that would at least help him get his mind off of things. And maybe Gus would know where Justin had gone, it was highly unlikely, but maybe Justin had felt that he owed it to Gus or something.

Clutching the wedding picture tightly, Brian watched the fire dance off of the glass. He imagined that he was back in the church, clutching Justin's hands in his. He remembered the feeling of elation that had washed over him as they had said their vows and exchanged the rings. Most of all, he remembered Justin's radiant smile as the minister had pronounced them married. What he wouldn't give to go back to that day and do it all again. He'd make sure that the fight never happened.

Smiling, he stood up to put another piece of wood on the fire, but the sound of soft footsteps on the wooden floor made his freeze. He appreciated that Michael had come to check up on him, but he was afraid that he would fall apart again if Michael coddled him. They were best friends, but for the time being, he needed his space. "Things didn't go as planned, Mikey. He wasn't there. I don't know what I'm going to do now."

"Brian?" No! The voice wasn't Michael's. It was Justin's. _It can't be!_

_Sunshine_? Brian whirled around and laughed in disbelief. His mind had to be playing tricks on him because there was no way that Justin was standing in the doorway. His heart started to pound.

He could see the tears streaming down Justin's face and he knew that what he was seeing was real. After everything, Justin had come back to him. Without another word, he took a step toward Justin, who, sensing Brian's eagerness, ran and met him half way. Brian swept Justin up into his arms, spinning him around and kissing him furiously. Justin wrapped his arms around Brian's neck and held on tightly. Backing up, they collapsed onto the blankets in front of the fire.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Just the final chapter and the epilogue left! Next update: 08.26.12

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **Emmett has the grand opening of his boutique.


	132. The End

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian went to Toronto to get Justin back.

Justin left Toronto to go home to Brian.

Emmett prepared for the opening of his boutique.

* * *

Chapter One Hundred Thirty-One

They made love on every surface of every room in the house. They started in the den and made their way through the first floor before somehow ending up on the second floor. They didn't talk. There was nothing to talk about. They clung tightly to each other, making up for the days of absence. Brian stared into Justin's eyes––except for when he was behind him–– as he made love to him, not wanting Justin to ever leave his sight again. They would make love, rest up, and repeat. By the time they climaxed the final time and fell back onto the bed, their bodies were aching. They had beaten their record.

Panting like dogs, they lay in silence. Justin rested his head on Brian's chest, grateful to be back where he belonged. The familiar feeling of Brian's hot skin under his cheek made him feel safe. Brian gently traced the contours of Justin's back with his fingers. "I missed you," he whispered softly.

"You did?" Justin craned his neck so that he could see Brian's face.

"Can't you tell?" Brian smiled warmly.

"I missed you, too. How did you cope without me?"

"I didn't," Brian admitted.

"I didn't do so well without you, either. I couldn't stop thinking about what happened and..."

"Shh. Let's not talk about that."

"We need to," Justin insisted. "That way we can put it behind us."

"Fine." Brian sighed softly.

"I'm sorry," Justin said sincerely. "I shouldn't have said those things to you. You aren't immature and you're definitely not irresponsible. I know that you love me and the kids very much and that we are your top priority. And if you want to go out and have fun every once and awhile, that's your business, everyone needs a break." He was silent for a minute. "And I'm sorry that I threw the ring at you. I swear I didn't mean it. I feel terrible."

"Don't," Brian soothed, petting Justin's hair lovingly. "I deserved it."

"No, you didn't."

Brian laughed softly. "You know, I never did find the ring. I was going to give it back to you when I saw you."

"I have it," Justin confessed.

"You do?"

"I picked it up after you went into the bedroom. It broke my heart to see it lying there. I couldn't part with it."

"Oh." Brian exhaled sharply. "Now it's my turn." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry that I called you a brat and said that you were letting the baby control your life. And I'm really sorry that I left you alone with a sick baby. It was selfish of me and I promise I'll never do it again. From now on, I'll only go out when you can go out, too."

"You don't have to do that," Justin insisted. "I want you to go out and have fun with your friends. This is a marriage, not a prison.

"Don't you see?" Brian demanded. "I didn't have any fun at all that night. I spent the whole time wishing I was here with you."

"You did?" Justin voice quavered.

"I was on my way to apologize when..."

"When I started the fight." Justin felt even guiltier than he had before. If he'd just given Brian a chance, none of this would have happened. But no, he had had to freak out and start a fight.

"You had every right to," Brian assured him. "I was being an ass."

Justin shook his head. "I'm the one that was being an ass. I just got so angry thinking about you going out and having fun without me. All I wanted was for you to be here with me, holding me in your arms and..." His voice broke as tears fell from his eyes.

"Hey." Brian squeezed him tighter. "Forget about it. We love each other, that's what really matters, not who started the fight or who was right or wrong."

"You're right." Justin sniffled. "You really went all the way to Canada to get me back?"

"Yeah." Brian laughed. "I would've gone to the ends of the earth to get you back, Sunshine."

"I'm sorry I left. You must've been so distraught when you got there and I wasn't around."

"Yeah, but I'm just glad that you came back to me. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't."

"Me neither."

They lay in silence again for awhile, contemplating things. Finally, Justin said, "Well, I guess we didn't keep up our agreement."

"What agreement?" Brian asked, eying his curiously.

"The one we made right after we got married. That no matter what, we would never fight. We'd always talk things through calmly and rationally."

"I guess so." Brian chewed his lip. "It was stupid of us to even think that was possible. Never say never. Every couple fights, it just comes with the territory."

"Yeah," Justin agreed. Even though he knew Brian was right, he wished that he wasn't. He didn't ever want to fight with Brian again. It pained him to know that he would.

"But next time, we'll just walk away and come back later when we've both cooled down, okay?"

"Good idea." Justin snuggled closer to Brian, who nuzzled the top of his head with his chin.

"Do you have any plans later?" Brian asked out of the blue.

"Not really, Justin said hesitantly. "Why?"

"Emmett's opening his store tonight and I thought maybe we could go by and congratulate him."

Justin chuckled. "Just how bad did things get while I was gone?" he inquired.

"What do you mean?" Brian knit his brows.

"Well, usually you barely tolerate Emmett and now you want to go to his store opening and congratulate him?"

"Let's just say he was willing to do me a favor and I owe him one."

"What kind of favor?"

"Michael, Ted, and Emmett came over here this morning and were going to come with me to find you."

"They were?"

"They wanted us to get back together so badly that they were willing to ignore some important things to help."

"Wow. We should probably go then," Justin said.

"Yeah."

"What time does it start?"

"Not for a few more hours," Brian assured him. "So, there is still plenty of time for us to stay in bed and relax."

"Good. I don't want to leave just yet."

"Me neither." Smiling, Brian drifted off to sleep with Justin back where he belonged: in his arms.

* * *

A few hours later, Justin woke up. He was still resting on Brian's chest, ensnared in his arms. He leaned down and kissed Brian softly, careful not to wake him. With patience, he managed to work his way out of Brian's arms and grabbed his pants, going out into the hallway. Digging through the pocket, he pulled out his cell phone and called Lindsay. "Justin?" Lindsay asked, her voice full of panic.

"Hey, Linz."

"He was here. Right after you left, Brian showed up and I didn't know what to do. I told him you left before Mel and I got up and I didn't know where you were."

"It's okay."

"Where are you?" Lindsay asked, her tone growing more excited.

"I'm back at home."

"You are!?"

"Mmmhmm." Justin grinned. _I'm back at home and I'm never going to leave again!_

"Did you two patch things up?"

"For the past six hours." Justin laughed.

"Oh, my God!"

"I know! It's great, isn't it!?"

"Yes, it is," Lindsay agreed. "See? I told you things would work out."

"You were right."

"So, you two are back together?"

"We're back together. I couldn't be happier."

"Congratulations!"

"Thanks. For everything."

"Don't mention it."

Justin heard Brian's feet hit the floor in the bedroom. "Listen I have to go. Brian just woke up," Justin whispered.

"Okay. Go get him."

"Believe me I will. Talk to you later."

"Bye." Justin ended the call just as Brian stepped out into the hall.

"There you are," he said groggily. "For a second I thought it was all a dream."

"No, it's real," Justin assured him, hugging him tightly. "I love you so much, Brian."

"I love you, too." Brian kissed him. "Who was that on the phone?"

"Uh...Daphne."

"Daphne?"

"Yeah, I was just calling to check up on the baby."

"Oh."

"And I've decided to let her keep Brianna for the week."

"You have?"

"I want us to have some alone time. I think that's important."

"I couldn't agree more." Brian grinned devilishly. "We should probably get ready soon. We're going to miss Emmett La Croix's opening."

"Okay."

Brian held up a hand. "But first, I think there's something we need to do before we take a shower."

"And what would that be?" Justin asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"This." Brian reached into his pocket and pulled out the promise ring.

"Where did you...?" Justin frowned.

"I found it in your bag."

"Oh." Justin grinned sheepishly.

"So, contingent on the approval of both parties, I'd like to reinstate the engagement." He chewed his lip nervously.

"Yes!" Justin cried, holding out his hand excitedly. "Yes!"

"Okay!" Laughing, Brian slipped the ring back onto Justin's finger. "There."

"Thanks." Justin threw his arms around Brian. Brian picked him up and carried him through the bedroom and into the bathroom. "Are you going to drag me in the shower with my jeans on?" he asked, giggling.

"Do you want me to?" Brian's eyes twinkled.

"Go for it." Justin set his cell phone off to the side so that it wouldn't get wet.

Brian opened up the door to the shower and stepped in, turning the water on. Within seconds, they were both sopping wet, Justin's jeans hanging off of him, weighing him down. Brian set him down and crushed his lips against Justin's. Moaning quietly, he yanked at Justin's pants, tugging them off. After the few days of separation, he couldn't get enough of Justin, his desire was even stronger than normal. Luckily, Justin felt the same way. "Are you up for one more?" Brian murmured.

"One more?" Justin laughed. "I was thinking three more at least." He grinned.

"That's more like it." Brian pushed Justin up against the glass wall of the shower, kissing the back of his neck sensually. "Never leave me, okay?" he pleaded.

"I promise," Justin gasped, his anticipation growing the closer that Brian got.

"I love you," Brian murmured, slipping in.

* * *

Emmett signaled to the waiter with the tray of hors d'oeuvres. "How are we doing?" he asked, licking his lips nervously.

"Great, everyone seems to be having a good time."

"No, I mean with the food."

"Oh." The hunky waiter laughed. "We're good there, too."

"Good. Thanks." Emmett heaved a contented sigh. His store had been open for almost an hour and his line was selling like hot cakes. _I'll have to hire a team of people to make the clothes for me, _he surmised. Now that he was running a successful business, he wouldn't have as much time to spend actually making the clothes.

"Hey," Michael said, coming up next to him. He smiled warmly. "Good turn out."

"Yeah," Ben agreed. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, guys." Emmett grinned. "I'm glad that you could make it."

"And miss your debut?" Michael shook his head. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

Ted and Blake joined them. "Wow, Em," Ted gasped, looking around at the crowd of people milling through the store. "This place is more crowded than Babylon."

"I know, isn't it amazing!?" Emmett laughed in disbelief. "I owe you one." Ted had used the resources at Kinnetik to come up with an ad for Emmett's store: Auntie Em's Fashion Boutique. Promotional posters had been placed it strategic places all over Liberty Avenue to draw in customers.

"Forget about it." Ted waved it off.

"You did a good job," Blake said kindly.

"Thanks, Blake." Emmett smiled. "Do you see anything you like?"

"Tons."

"Well anything you guys fancy, it's on the house."

"Oh, we couldn't," Ben protested.

"Yes, you can. My store, my rules."

"We're going to go look," Michael assured him, taking Ben's hand and dragging him over to the nearest wall of clothing racks.

"We'll be back," Ted promised.

"Take your time." Emmett watched his friends walk and heaved a contented sigh. Before leaving the house, he'd almost had a nervous breakdown. What if no one wanted to buy his designs? What if he made a complete fool of himself? Calvin had promised that everything would be okay and as they made their way down the sidewalk to the front of the store, they saw the line of people waiting to get in. Ted's promotions had definitely worked.

A hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality. Turning around, his heart leapt. "You made it!" he cried, hugging both Brian and Justin.

"Well, it was either this or staying home and doing laundry," Brian commented dryly.

"Uh huh." Emmett giggled and turned to Justin. "And you're back."

"I'm back," Justin confirmed. For good."

"Good for you, baby!" Emmett gave him another quick hug.

"Where's Calvin?" Justin asked, looking around.

"Oh, he's working the cash register." Emmett pointed toward the back of the store and waved. Grinning, Calvin waved back.

"Wow, he must love you," Justin commented lightly.

"He does!" Emmett grinned. "Don't worry, I'll more than reward him later."

"You'd better," Brian said, his eyes glinting. "Congratulations, Emmett."

"Yeah," Justin agreed.

"Thanks." Emmett smiled again. "Well, I hate to run off, but I need to go kiss ass."

"Bye." Justin watched Emmett scurry off. "He seems happy," he noted.

"I've never seen him more happy." Brian grabbed two glasses of champagne from the passing waiter. They clinked their glasses together and downed the drinks.

Brian looked over and saw Debbie in the corner by herself. "I'm going to go say hi to Deb. Are you okay here on your own?"

"I'll be fine," Justin assured him. He caught Debbie's eye and smiled. She waved excitedly.

"Be right back." Brian gave Justin a quick kiss and made his way across the store to Deb.

"Looks like things worked out after all, huh?" Debbie grinned.

"Yes, they did." Brian put an arm around her. "I don't think I properly thanked you for convincing me to go."

"I'm not fucking you!" Debbie exclaimed jokingly.

"That's not exactly what I had in mind." Brian chuckled. "I just wanted to say thanks. If you hadn't convinced me to go and get him back, I'd probably still be at home feeling sorry for myself."

"Oh, honey." Debbie stroked his cheek lovingly.

"But it's more than that. You've been a mother to me for the last twenty years, Deb."

"Twenty-one," Debbie corrected, laughing.

"I'm not thirty-five yet," Brian insisted with mock indignation. "Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for all that you've done for me. I don't think I would've made it to where I am today without you."

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!" Debbie grabbed Brian and pulled him into a tight hug. "And you don't have to thank me, kiddo. It's my job." She kept him in her arms for a minute so he wouldn't see the tears sparkling in her eyes.

When Debbie had regained her composure, she let him loose. "Now, get back to your husband, he's waiting for you." Smiling, she lightly smacked him on the cheek.

"Hey!" Brian protested. "Do I look like Michael?"

"Michael's not the only son I can slap," Deb replied.

"Later, Deb."

"Bye, honey." Deb watched proudly and Brian went back to Justin and arm-in-arm, they went and found the others. _Goddamn kids,_ she thought, _every time you think you could never be more proud of them, they surprise you._

Michael and Ted turned when they saw Brian and Justin standing next to them. Smiling, Michael said, "I'm glad you came back."

"It's good to be home," Justin replied, resting his head on Brian's shoulder. He was back, and this time, no matter what, he wasn't going to leave. No matter what life through at him next, he knew one thing for certain: Brian Kinney loved him and that was enough for him.

* * *

**Next Time On Queer As Folk: **The beat of Babylon continues...


	133. Epilogue

**Previously On Queer As Folk: **Brian and Justin got back togehter.

Michael came close to finishing his novel.

Ted and Blake bought a home by Michael and Ben's.

Emmett bought Torso and opened his own boutique.

* * *

Four Years Later...

"Happy Anniversary," Brian murmured in Justin's ear, nibbling sensuously on the lobe.

"Happy Anniversary." Smiling, Justin leaned back to kiss Brian.

"Five years," Brian continued, sighing contentedly. He moved around to the chair next to Justin.

"I can't believe it," Justin agreed. "We've been married for five years."

"Five happy years." Brian's eyes twinkled.

"Five incredibly happy years." Justin squeezed Brian's hand tightly.

They turned to each other and leaned forward, their lips meeting. Brian put his arms around Justin and pulled him closer. The sound of the French doors behind them opening caused them to break the kiss and turn to see what was happening. Gus stood in the doorway frowning apologetically. "Sorry, Dad," he said to Brian. "I couldn't hold Brianna back any longer."

"It's okay, Gus," Brian assured him.

"Cake!" Brianna exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Cake?" Justin asked, turning to Brian and arching an eyebrow.

"I got us an anniversary cake," Brian explained. "Chocolate Chocolate Chip."

"Mmmm sounds good." Justin licked his lips hungrily.

"Bring it here," Brian said, motioning Gus forward.

"Come on, Bri," Gus urged, following his little sister to the table. She kept trying to snag a taste of the cake that he had balanced in his arms. Rage stared at up him, tail wagging excitedly.

Sitting down at the table, Gus looked down at the cake, licking his lips. "I'll go get a knife," Brian announced, disappearing into the kitchen.

"I'm so glad you could make it this weekend, Gus," Justin said, smiling.

"Me, too. I can't wait for summer. Dad said he was going to let me take Brownie out all by myself."

"He did?" Justin chuckled. "Well, you're big enough now."

"See? This is why I love coming and staying with you and Dad, you let me do stuff that my moms would never let me do."

"That's what dads are for," Justin assured him.

"Where's Daddy?" Brianna asked, bouncing with nervous energy. She was dying for some of the cake.

"He'll be right out, Bri," Justin replied. "He just went to get a knife so he can cut the cake."

"I wonder what's taking him so long," Gus murmured.

"I'll go see." Justin stood up and went into the house.

Looking around, he could see that Brian wasn't in the kitchen. "Brian?" he called, walking out into the foyer.

"Right here," Brian replied, coming down the stairs.

"I thought you were going to get a knife," Justin reminded him.

"And something else."

"Something else?" Justin narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Look, I know you said no gifts," Brian began, "but this isn't just for our anniversary. It's also a congratulatory gift."

"For what?"

"For what?" Brian laughed. "For having an art exhibit in every major museum in the country," Brian replied, beaming proudly.

"Oh." Justin blushed.

"And for finally getting your art degree." He smiled and handed Justin a small envelope. It was obviously a card.

"Thank God you didn't go out and spend more money on me," Justin said, relieved. Grinning at Brian, he opened the envelope and pulled out the card. On the front it read: Happy Anniversary.

Flipping the card open, he started to read.

_Dear Sunshine,_

_I'm not really good at these kinds of things, but I'm just going to say what _

_I want to say. Over the past nine years, you have made me the happiest_

_man in the world. You've given me a purpose and something to be _

_grateful for. I am so proud of you, Sunshine, and I can easily say that_

_I am the luckiest man alive. Because not only is my husband _

_gorgeous and smart, he's also talented , determined., and loving._

_You have shown me that real love does exist and that_

_if you are patient enough, it will find you. I am so _

_grateful that you were brought into my life and _

_I know that without you, my life would be shit._

_You are the best thing that has ever happened to me _

_and I promise to make you as happy as you have made me._

_I look forward to waking up to your shining face every day _

_for the rest of my life._

_I love you with all of my heart,_

_Brian._

Teary eyed, Justin met Brian's gaze. "I don't know what to say," he said, the tears spilling down his cheek.

"Neither do I," Brian admitted, taking a step toward Justin.

"You have made me as happy as I've made you. And I promise to love you for the rest of my life."

"That's what I wanted to hear." Fighting back tears of his own, Brian hugged Justin tightly, grateful that he had had the courage five years before to tell Justin how he really felt and to take the dive and marry him. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too." Justin pulled back and kissed him. For a second, nothing else in the world mattered but them.

The French doors opened again and Gus's voice called out, "Dad? Justin? You better hurry, Brianna's going to eat the cake!"

"We're coming," Brian called back. He turned to Justin and they both chuckled.

"So you have no regrets about the last nine years?" Justin asked.

"Not one," Brian assured him. "Do you?"

"Only one."

"And what's that?" Brian looked down into Justin's eyes.

"Not telling you each and every day just how much I love you."

"Yeah, that really hurts," Brian teased. Looping his arm though Justin's he steered him through the kitchen and out the door to the patio. "Now who's ready for some cake?" he asked.

"Me!" Brianna and Gus cried.

Laughing, Brian cut them each a piece of cake before he cut a piece for himself and Justin. "Here you go," he said, holding the piece out.

"We're sharing a piece?" Justin asked.

"We share everything," Brian reminded him.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way." Resting his head on Brian's shoulder, Justin watched proudly as their children ate their cake and ran off to play in the yard.

* * *

Michael came down the stairs and set his suitcase down. He was breathing heavily from the exertion. His second book had been released earlier in the week and he was about to leave town for a month long book tour. He had done the same thing when his first book had come out, but was not looking forward to it. He would miss Ben and his friends.

"How much stuff did you pack?" Ben asked, eying him with amusement.

"As much I could fit in the bag," Michael confessed. "Who knows what I'll need?"

"Michael, you're going on a book tour," Ben reminded him. "Not the Arctic."

"It gets pretty cold in Canada," Michael insisted.

"All right, you win." Ben laughed. "Come here." He pulled Michael into a bear hug and kissed his neck. "What am I going to do without you for a whole month?"

"Don't worry, I'll keep you company," Hunter said, coming down the stairs.

"Hey." Michael turned to face Hunter. "He'd better be in the same condition he is now."

"He will be," Hunter promised.

"And if you keep up your grades, I might consider getting you that Hummer you wanted."

"Get out!" Hunter laughed.

"Well, since my first book was the number one _New York Times _Bestseller and my second book just came out and is already a hot item, we can definitely afford it."

"Are you serious!?"

"I guess you'll find out, won't you?" He grinned mischievously.

Ben pulled Michael down onto the couch next to him. "So, what are you plans for tonight?" he asked.

"Dinner with my mother and then I'm meeting the guys at Babylon. You can come if you want," Michael replied.

"To dinner or to Babylon?" Ben joked.

"Both."

"Sorry, I'd love to but I've got a lot of work to do tonight."

"What kind of work?" Michael asked suspiciously.

"Grading mid-term essays."

"Sounds boring." Michael frowned.

"It is, but give my love to your mother and have a blast at Babylon."

"I will." Michael leaned over and brushed his lips against Ben's. "And maybe when I come home you can give me a little something to show me how much you're going to miss me while I'm away?"

"You can count on it."

"Gross," Hunter muttered, disappearing back up the stairs.

Michael laughed. "Well, that sure got rid of him pretty fast."

"Yeah." Ben put an arm around him. "I don't want you to worry about your mother while you're away."

"I won't," Michael said.

"Come on, Michael, I know you better than that."

"Okay, fine, I'll worry." He shrugged. "It's in my blood, what can I say?"

"And I love that about you." Ben smiled. "I promise that Hunter and I will go over and have dinner with her every night that we can. Hopefully that'll help get her mind off things."

"I can't believe that Lance is finally moving out after all these years."

"It's time he went out on his own." Ben shrugged. "At least she's still got Carl to keep her company."

"Yeah." Michael chewed his lip for a second. "What time is it?" he asked.

"Six?" Ben looked down at his watch.

"Shit I have to get going. If I'm late she'll kill me."

"And I wouldn't want that to happen."

As Michael stood up to leave, Ben smacked his ass. "What was that for?" he asked.

"For being adorable," Ben replied, his eyes aglow with mischief.

"Yeah, right!" Laughing, Michael pulled on his coat. "I'll see you when I get home?"

"Sure." Ben crossed the room and kissed Michael passionately.

"Bye." Smiling broadly, Michael gave Ben a quick peck on the cheek before he left.

* * *

As Emmett stepped off of the plane, he sighed contentedly. He was glad to be back home in Pittsburgh. After being open for only a short while, his store had become wildly successful. After a couple of years, he had gotten offers from Paris, Milan, and New York to open up boutiques there. He was just getting back from a two week trip to Milan. They had decided to go with his boutique and by the end of the year, it would be open and he would be a millionaire. Okay, not quite.

Hugging his brand new fur coat tighter against the cold chill, he went into the airport and looked around for Calvin. He hadn't seen Calvin in almost a month and was desperate to be in his arms. "Excuse me, sir," a voice said from behind him. "But are you looking for someone?"

"Calvin!?" Squealing excitedly, Emmett jumped up into Calvin's arms and kissed him furiously. "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you, too!" Calvin squeezed him tight. "I have a surprise for you back at the apartment."

"You do?" Emmett grinned. "What is it?"

"It's a surprise!" Calvin exclaimed, laughing jovially. "I can't tell you what it is yet."

"Fine." Emmett sighed with mock disappointment. "Take me home and make love to me for the rest of the day."

"I'll do my best."

When they got back to the apartment, Emmett walked in and gasped. Sitting on the couch was his father. "Daddy?" he gasped, mouth agape.

"Emmett." Smiling, Thomas got to his feet slowly. His health was slowly declining.

"What are you doing here!?" Emmett ran across the room and hugged him fiercely. He hadn't seen his dad in months.

"I finally decided to take you up on your offer."

"What offer?" Emmett asked, knitting his brows.

"To come and live you with you," Thomas said. "If the offer still stands."

"Of course!" Emmett laughed excitedly. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"So am I."

Calvin set Emmett's vast collection of suitcases down. "I say we all go out to eat. To celebrate."

"That's right, my son is a world renowned..." Thomas paused. "What's that word?"

"Couturier?" Emmett supplied.

"That's the one." Thomas clapped him on the back. "I couldn't be prouder of you, son."

"Thanks, Daddy." Emmett blinked past the tears welling in his eyes. "I'm proud of you, too."

"Oh, come here." They embraced again, both barely reigning in their emotions.

"I hate to interrupt, but we have reservations," Calvin said politely.

"Yeah." Emmett sniffled. "Let's go."

"Let me go get changed first." Thomas went off into his new bedroom.

"So, are you going out with the guys tonight?" Calvin asked.

"Yeah, if it's all right with you." Emmett smiled pleadingly.

"Go on."

"It's just that Michael's leaving for his book tour tomorrow and I to catch up with my boys."

"I understand. You go out and have fun with your friends. I'll stay here and make sure that your father gets settled in okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Calvin grinned.

"Oh! I love you so much!" Emmett leapt into Calvin's arms again, wrapping his legs around Calvin's waist.

"You'd better." Laughing, they collapsed onto the floor.

* * *

After dinner, Debbie cleared the table. She hadn't said much all through the meal. It hurt too much to say anything. Not only was Lance moving out, but Michael was leaving town for a month. She had never spent more than a few weeks away from Michael since the day he was born. She was going to go crazy without him. "Thanks for dinner, Ma," Michael said, carrying his plate to the sink.

"You're welcome, honey." Deb forced herself to smile. "Are you sure you don't want anything else?"

"No, thanks, I'm stuffed."

"I'll wrap it up and you can bring it home to Ben. He's going to need food while you're away."

"He'll appreciate that."

"When are you leaving?" Debbie asked.

"Tomorrow morning."

"Shit," Deb hissed as tears started to blur her vision.

"What?" Michael asked, concerned.

"I promised myself I wouldn't cry," Deb admitted.

"Come here." Michael let himself be smothered by his mother. He knew how hard it was going to be for her to deal without him. She was used to talking to him on a daily basis and seeing him at least four times a week. And though he hated to admit it, he was going to miss her, too.

Debbie pulled away and smiled again. "I'm sorry," she said. "God, I'm such a drama queen."

"It's okay," Michael assured her. "I promise I'll call you every day."

"You'd better!" Debbie exclaimed. "Four times at least. And make sure you eat. I don't want you coming back looking like a fucking skeleton again."

"I'll try." Michael laughed.

"Good boy." Deb playfully smacked his cheek. "I'm so goddamn proud of you, honey!"

"Thanks, Ma." Michael grinned. "Well, listen, I'd better get going, I'm meeting the guys at Woody's for drinks. Sort of a bon voyage party. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye, sweetie." Debbie gave Michael one more bear hug before handing him the wrapped up leftovers and sending him on his way.

After Michael left, she started to feel lonely. Carl had gone up to lie down as soon as he had finished eating. He hadn't been feeling well lately and spent a lot of time resting. Lance had disappeared upstairs. _I think it's time to do some laundry,_ Deb decided. Going up the stairs, she pushed open Lance's door without knocking. He jumped and pulled the blankets up over his naked body. "Deb!" he hissed, flushing red with embarrassment.

"Sorry, sweetie, laundry."

"You could have knocked!"

"I thought I did." Debbie smiled sweetly. "It doesn't matter, you won't be dealing with it much longer."

"What do you mean?" Lance frowned. "Are you kicking me out?"

"No. You're moving in with Jeremy." Lance stared at her blankly. "Aren't you?"

"No, why would you think that?"

Debbie sat down on the edge of the bed. "I heard you two talking a few weeks ago about moving in together."

"Oh." Lance laughed. "Deb, we were talking about moving in together, but not until I was done with college."

"College?"

"Yeah. I love it here and I know how lonely you'd be without me. So as long as you want me, I'm here."

"Oh, honey!" Debbie threw her arms around Jeremy and rained kisses down on his forehead. "Of course you can stay!"

"Thanks."

"It's my job." Deb got up from the bed and collected the dirty clothes from Lance's hamper. "Now, I'm going to leave you to finish what you were doing." She laughed. "Just make sure not to cum on my sheets."

"Ugh," Lance groaned.

As Debbie pounded back down the stairs, she saw Carl in the kitchen. He was sitting at the table eating ice cream. "I thought you weren't feeling well, sweetie," Deb said.

"Just the aches and pains of getting old," Carl assured her. He pulled out the chair next to him. "Want some ice cream?"

"Sure." Debbie threw the clothes down on the floor and sat down next to Carl. He got a spoonful of ice cream and held it out to her. Deb leaned forward and took a bite. "Mmm that's good."

"I have something a little better." Carl pressed his lips against Deb's. "How's that?"

"Tasty." Debbie smiled and rested her head on Carl's shoulder. Suddenly, her life wasn't looking so lonely after all. She had a man who loved her, a successful, loving son, and a group of dedicated friends who were like family. What more could she ask for?

* * *

Ted stared down at Blake lovingly. "I love being married to you," he whispered, nuzzling Blake's ear.

"I love being married to you, too." Blake giggled. "And I love living with you in this beautiful house."

"It is nice," Ted agreed. "You know, for the first time in my life, I actually feel like I'm home. Where I belong."

"Me, too." Blake kissed the side of his neck. "No one's ever made me feel as safe as you do."

"I've never loved someone like I love you."

"I can't believe we've been married for five years," Blake mused.

"It seems like just yesterday that we met."

"Yeah!" Blake laughed. "You were so adorable that night."

Ted sat up in bed, resting his head in his hand. "Since our anniversary is coming up next month, I think we should do something special."

"I like the sound of that. What do you have in mind?"

"Well, we haven't really gone anywhere since Justin's art show in New York."

"And?"

"I hear Ibiza is nice this time of year."

"Ibiza!" Blake laughed exuberantly.

"I take it you're excited?"

"Excited, I'm ecstatic!" His smile vanished. "But can we afford a trip like that?"

"Sure. Brian gave me another raise and that combined with the extra income from the club gives us more than enough for a little vacation."

"What about work?" Blake asked.

"Brian can deal without me. Between him and Justin, they could rule the world. They're like a couple of lesbians."

"I always thought they were amazing."

"What do you mean?"

"Just that everything they've been through, they're still together. They love each other very much."

"Yeah, I guess they do."

Blake rolled over and looked at the clock. "It's getting to be that time again," he announced, meeting Ted's gaze.

"Time to go open the club," Ted grumbled. "At least I won't be there alone again."

"Oh that's right, Emmett is back in town now, right?"

"Mmmhmm. We're having a little party for him and Michael tonight."

"That's nice."

"You could come if you want to," Ted offered.

"No, it's for you guys. I don't want to interfere. I think it's great that after all this time, you and your friends are still as close as ever."

"It's all thanks to my loving, understanding husband."

"I have nothing to do with it. You guys just love each other."

"Yeah, we do." Ted sighed. "I'd better get going. I promise I won't be out too late."

"Take your time."

"I love you." Ted planted a kiss on Blake's forehead.

"Love you." Blake watched Ted put his clothes back on. _A vacation in Ibiza,_ he thought. _That's certainly one way to spend our anniversary._

* * *

Back home in Toronto, Melanie and Lindsay were putting Jenny Rebecca to bed. "There you go, sweetie, nice and toasty," Lindsay murmured, kissing JR on the forehead.

"I love you, baby." Melanie grinned down at their daughter.

"Mommy?" JR asked.

"Yes?" Melanie and Lindsay asked in unison.

"How come Gus got to go see his daddy and I didn't?"

"Uh..." Mel and Linz exchanged looks.

"He gets to go back and see his daddy all the time. I miss my daddy."

"One second, honey." Melanie pulled Lindsay off to the side. "What do you think?" she asked.

"I think she's old enough to go and stay with Michael and Ben every other weekend like Gus does with Brian and Justin," Lindsay replied.

"I suppose." Mel looked back at her beautiful daughter. It would be hard for her to part with JR, she was her baby, but Michael was her parent, too, and he deserved to spend time with his daughter.

"It's either that or we move back to Pittsburgh," Lindsay continued softly so that only Melanie could hear her.

"You're right." Melanie sighed. "You know that I would love to move back to Pittsburgh as much as you would, Linz, but what's changed? If possible, things have gotten worse. Last year they banned gay marriage in California."

Lindsay nodded sympathetically. "I know. But we can't give up hope."

"Why not?" Melanie muttered.

"Because when we do, what do we have to look forward to?" Lindsay stared into Mel's eyes. "Things will get better. We just have to be patient."

"You're such a shiksa."

"I know," Lindsay beamed. "So, what do you say?"

"All right." Mel turned back to JR who was waiting patiently for an answer to her question. "How about this, honey? When your daddy gets back from his book tour, we'll talk to him about you and going and staying with him every other weekend. How does that sound?"

"Yeah!" JR screamed, her face lighting up instantly.

"But you have to be a good girl and go to sleep now. It's late."

"Okay. Goodnight, mommy."

"Good night."

Melanie and Lindsay closed the door behind them and went down the hall to their bedroom. Changing into pajamas, they climbed into bed and pulled the covers up. "Michael's going to be so ecstatic when we tell him," Lindsay said, cuddling up next to Melanie.

"Yeah, he'll shit himself." Melanie chuckled. "Are you ready to go to bed?" she asked, her hand poised over the lamp switch.

"I'm exhausted."

"Good." Melanie turned the lamp off and lay back against the pillows. "I love you, Linz," she muttered.

"I love you, too." Lindsay rested her head on Melanie's shoulder and smiling, fell asleep.

* * *

Later that night after having a few drinks at Woody's the guys walked down Liberty Avenue toward the pulsating beat of Babylon that called to them tantalizingly. "I am so glad to be home!" Emmett trilled, practically skipping down the sidewalk.

"We're glad to have you back," Ted assured him. "It wasn't the same without you."

"Hey!" Brian exclaimed with mock offense.

"Sorry, Bri." Ted smiled back at Brian. "No one can replace, Em."

"Aw, thanks, sweetie." Emmett planted a sloppy kiss on Ted's cheek.

"Are you going to miss me?" Michael asked jokingly.

"I will, Mikey." Brian bumped Michael with his hip.

"Well, it's good to know someone will."

"I'll miss you, too," Justin assured him. "I'm especially going to miss reading the new chapters of your book every week."

"Oh, I have a copy for you in the car," Michael said. "One for all of you."

"Did you sign it?" Emmett asked.

"Of course."

"I can't wait to read this one," Ted said encouragingly.

"They're even talking about making it into a TV series," Michael boasted, flushed with excitement.

"They are?"

"Who's going to play me?" Brian asked.

"Some extremely talented but unfortunately unknown actor."

"Is he hot?" Justin chipped in.

"Extremely hot." Michael grinned. "I have never been that attracted to a man before."

"Not even Ben?" Brian teased.

"Not even Ben."

"Wow." Justin's mouth dropped open.

"Is he hotter than me, Mikey?"

"He's a close second." Laughing, Brian put his spare arm around Michael's shoulder.

As they crossed the street, the pull toward Babylon became even stronger. They cut in front of the others in line and went in. Habitually, they made their way to the bar. After ordering drinks, they turned to face the throng of half-naked men gyrating on the dance floor. "I missed this," Emmett sighed, smiling.

"It never gets old," Brian agreed, winking at Justin.

"Doesn't it?" Ted asked, sipping his drink.

"What do you mean?" Brian turned toward Ted.

"I think what Teddy means is, aren't we a little old to still be doing this?"

Drinks frozen halfway to their mouths, they all looked at each other, considering the question. Were they too old to still be going out to Babylon? Except for Justin, they were all pushing forty, except Ted, who was in his mid-forties. Most men their age could barely get it up much less stay up all night partying. "Nah," they decided, laughing.

"We'll never be too old," Brian declared, clinking his beer bottle against Justin's.

"You know," Michael said seriously. "We should renew our pact."

"Which one?" Emmett inquired.

"The one we made that summer. That no matter what, we'd always be friends."

"I guess we could," Emmett mused.

"With all of us going our own separate ways all the time," Justin added.

"It sounds like a good idea," Ted concluded.

As they raised their drinks to toast, Brian said, "Hold on."

"What?" Michael asked.

"It'd like to add something to the toast."

"You?" Emmett guffawed.

"Yes, Honeycutt, me."

"Fine."

"Not only will be always be friends, but we will never abandon Babylon. It's been our hangout for as long as any of us can remember." He turned to Justin. "But more importantly, it's the place where I met Sunshine. That makes it important to me."

"Oh, Brian." Justin laughed.

"That's so sweet," Emmett said, smiling.

"To us," Brian declared, raising his drink higher. "And Babylon."

"To us and Babylon," the others joined in.

"Now, let's go dance!" Emmett exclaimed, yanking Ted away from the bar. "I've been dying for a night out like this for two months!"

"All right," Ted agreed, dutifully following his best friend.

Justin looked over at Michael, who was frowning into his beer. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah." Michael sighed. "I just wish Ben was here is all. I'm going to be away for a month. I'll miss him."

"Oh." Justin happened to glance over toward the door. Ben was fighting his way through the throng of dancers. "Well something tells me your luck is about to change."

"That's for sure," Brian mumbled.

"What are you talking about?" Michael felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, brown eyes," Ben said, grinning. Michael spun around and gasped.

"Ben!" Michael hugged him. "What are you doing here?"

"You didn't think that I was going to let you leave without one last dance at Babylon, did you?"

"What about your papers?"

"Hunter's grading them."

"Damn."

"What?"

"It looks like we'll have to buy him that Hummer now."

"Guess so." Ben grabbed Michael's hand. "Now, let's dance."

"See you guys later," Michael said, craning his neck to see Brian and Justin.

"Later, Mikey." Brian waved.

Justin cleared his throat. "You know, I really loved the old Brian," he said.

"You did?" Brian asked sarcastically.

"Yeah. But I think I love this new one better. A whole lot better."

"I'll let you in on a little secret. So do I." Smiling, he pulled Justin closer. "Let's dance," he said.

"I thought you'd never ask."

"Never fret, Sunshine, I made a promise years ago to save the last dance for you. I always keep my promises."

Maybe they were a little too old to still be hanging out at Babylon, but who cared? Turning their back on Babylon was inconceivable to them. In a world full of hate and ridicule, where gay people were bashed and disrespected, it was the sole safe haven they had. No matter what, they would always have Babylon. As long as it stood, they would go and dance. After all, what more could they do?

Laughing, Brian grabbed Justin's hand and started walking toward the dance floor. Around them, their friends danced happily. As they passed each other, their eyes met and they smiled. No matter what the world threw at them, two things were certain: they were queer and they would always be friends. Brian pressed his lips against Justin's and held him tight as they swayed to the ever present, immortal thumpa thumpa.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I honestly don't know how to begin. This has been a crazy, wild ride. Two years. Who'd have thought what started as a sentence would turn into this? I certainly didn't and I'm amazed to this day. I'd like to thank all of my readers who kept me going and offered their critiques, it certainly helped shape the story and make it better. Without you guys, I might have given up, so thank you all. It's been fun and I'm going to miss updating and getting feedback from you guys, but it's true what they say: everything ends. As sad as I am to see it end, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to share my love of QAF with you guys. I hope that I did the show justice and that I gave you all the happy ending that I felt these wonderful characters deserved. As for my next endeavors, I have a few thoughts rolling around in my head. I wrote a chapter for a Dante's Cove fanfic that I would like to write, but unfortunately, I haven't had the time to devote to it. I've also got some ideas for a Sarah Jane Adventures fic that would feature the Eleventh Doctor and would servce as a tribute to the late, great Elisabeth Sladen, whom I adore. Thank you all again for everything, I truly appreciate it.

Feel free to check my Secret Diary of a Call Girl fanfic that I wrote under another name last year. it's called Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Money Changes Everything. If you can't find it, search for M rated fics.


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